Union Minister G. Kishan Reddy today said Prime Minister Narendra Modi stood by the Telangana farmers and added that when cotton was not getting the right prices in the open market (2024-25), the Central Government acted as a partisan of the farmers by procuring cotton in Telangana in large quantities at minimum support prices.
He said the Central Government has set up 110 cotton procurement centers in Telangana through the Cotton Corporation of India (CCI) and procured 210 lakh quintals of cotton.
In Telangana, which ranks 3rd in cotton production in the country, the Narendra Modi government has procured cotton worth more than Rs. 58 thousand crores at the minimum support price through CCI from the 2014-15 crop season to the 2024-25 crop season.
Thus, it has stood by lakhs of farmers. In this, in the 2024-25 crop season alone (till 17.03.2025), CCI has procured 210.19 lakh quintals of cotton worth Rs. 15,556 crores. Nearly 9 lakh Telangana cotton farmers have benefited this year due to the decision of the Central Government,” he said.
He also said in 2014-15, the minimum support price of cotton per quintal was Rs 3,750 and by 2024-25, it has more than doubled to Rs 7,121. “This is the assurance given by the Modi government to the cotton farmers.
He said at a time when cotton prices are low in the open market, the Modi government had come to the aid of the farmers by procuring the cotton in bulk from Telangana farmers at minimum support price.
“From soil tests to seeds, fertilizers, implements, crop loans, crop insurance, irrigation facilities, construction of warehouses, to purchase of agricultural produce at minimum support price, the Narendra Modi government is providing complete support to the farmers in every aspect of the agricultural sector.
As per the instructions of the Commission for Agricultural Produce Costs & Prices, the central government fixes minimum support prices for 22 types of agricultural produce, including cotton, every year.
The minimum support prices of the respective crops are decided so that they are at least 50% higher than the cost of production of the crop.
When it comes to cotton crop, the Government of India, through CCI, is procuring cotton crop from farmers at minimum support price every time the price of cotton crop in the open market falls below the minimum support price to support farmers,” he said.