Cotton ginners urgegovt to allow direct purchase from farmers

Sushil Manav

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Tribune News Service

Sirsa, October 8

The Haryana Cotton Ginners’ Association (HCGA) wants the government to allow their members purchase cotton directly from the farmers, leaving aside the commission agents.

Taking note of the state government’s offer to farmers to sell their crop directly to the government, the association said its members were willing to pay Rs50 to Rs60 per quintal in excess to the agreed price to the farmers and will pay the entire price in cash if they were allowed to purchase the commodity directly.

“We have written to Agriculture Minister OP Dhankar and the Chief Administrator of the Haryana State Agriculture Marketing Board for seeking a meeting with them, so that we can present our case and communicate to the government the intention behind our readiness,” said Sushil Mittal, state president of the HCGA.

“If the government wants to do away with the arhtiya system, it will be better to allow cotton ginners purchase cotton directly from the farmers. We pay 2.5 per cent commission to the arhtiyas, which on the present prevailing rates of cotton comes out to be Rs 100 per quintal. We can easily share half of this with the farmers. This will fetch them Rs 50 to 60 in addition to the amount for which cotton will be purchased in auction,” Mittal said.