Cotton yield and prices fall in Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu farmers harvesting cotton are struggling to get remunerative prices, leading to a 25% reduction in cotton cultivation for the next sowing season. Prices have dropped from ₹120/kg to ₹70/kg, and the Indian Cotton Federation estimates 1.65 lakh hectares of land will be under cotton cultivation this season. The CCI and the Consortium of Indian Farmers' Associations have called for measures to support farmers, such as forming producer orgs and setting up ginning mills, and revising MSPs. The textile industry has also sought a Technology Mission on Cotton to boost yield and prices.

Area under cotton cultivation in Tamil Nadu is likely to fall next sowing season as farmers harvesting cotton now struggle to get remunerative prices.

Selvakumar, who raised cotton on 1.5 acres in Tiruchengode area, said he spent ₹35,000 and earned just ₹15,000. The yield this year was 200 kg an acre as against 11 quintals last year. The price had also dropped from ₹120 a kg last year to ₹70 a kg now. “We do not know if the fall in yield was due to pest attack or severe summer. But, at least 25% of farmers in our region will not sow cotton next year,” he said.

Kannan, a farmer from the Tiruvarur district, said that on Saturday the average price in that area was ₹64 a kg. Even a week or 10 days ago, the price was ₹55 a kg or less.

According to data available with the Indian Cotton Federation, almost 1.65 lakh hectares of land was under cotton cultivation in the State and production was expected to be 6.5 lakh bales during the 2022-2023 cotton season (October to September).

An official of the CCI said that the new MSP rates were declared for cotton season 2023-2024 and added that the Corporation would step in for MSP operations from day one (October 1), if necessary. “We have been told that at present, the prices are running at about ₹6,800 per quintal and in case of Cauvery delta region it was ₹6,400 to ₹ 6,500,” the official said.

Ravichandra, a farmer from Naneelam, said the government should support them to form farmer producer organisations and set up ginning mills in the cotton growing areas so that they get better prices. Further, the revised MSP that was implemented from October 1 should be advanced for the summer crop in Tamil Nadu where picking started in June.

V. Sathyanarayanan, State secretary for the Consortium of Indian Farmers’ Associations, demanded steps to boost prices for cotton by-products so that farmers were not affected by the cotton price fluctuations.