Andhra Pradesh - Khammam   

CCI suspends purchases

- PHOTO: G.N.Rao

Cotton growers protesting in front of the Agriculture market Committee in Khammam on Thursday.

KHAMMAM: Cotton farmers who moved into the market with over 10,000 bags of cotton today staged protest demonstrations in a big way as the Cotton Corporation of India suspended purchases in Khammam on account of the failure of its transport contractor to lift the stocks from the yard to the ginning mills. The private traders took full advantage of the absence of the CCI in the yard and there was a sudden drop in the price much to the dismay of the farmers.

Farmers complained that the traders offered Rs. 2,200 per quintal in the day as against Rs 2,975 given by the CCI on Wednesday. They also found fault with the CCI for suspending the purchases without giving advance notice.

The officials said that the CCI which had opened its purchase centre in Khammam on October 15, could buy about 22,000 quintals so far. As the lorry operators wanted hike in the transport charges, the contractor had failed to lift the stocks from the yard.

The CCI authorities wanted to put off the purchases until the existing stocks were lifted by the transport contractor.

Some of the farmers resented the decision of the CCI. They alleged that the CCI officials were in a way helping the private traders. It would be very difficult to take the stocks back to villages. The CCI had deliberately put the farmers at the mercy of the traders, said Islavath Balaji, a cotton farmer from Pangidi village.

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CCI suspends purchases

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