Punjab cotton farmers resorting to distress sale: Partap Singh Bajwa

Leader of the Opposition in the state Assembly Partap Singh Bajwa has flayed the AAP government for allegedly turning its back on the farming community even as cotton growers were “resorting to distress sale”.

“Due to the newly imposed conditions by the Cotton Corporation of India (CCI), farmers were being forced to sell their produce at prices far below the minimum support price (MSP) of Rs 7,710 per quintal,” he said.

The Congress leader said the cotton procurement process by the CCI had not even begun in the state, leaving farmers at the mercy of private players, who were exploiting the situation and purchasing cotton at rates as low as Rs 3,000 a quintal.

“The mandatory registration through the Kapas Kisan app has become a major obstacle. Thousands of farmers are unable to register because fresh girdawari reports of the area under cotton cultivation are not available,” Bajwa added.