The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Area under contract farming for cotton on the rise

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Oct 04, 2004

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Area under contract farming for cotton on the rise

By M. Soundariya Preetha

COIMBATORE, OCT. 3. With some of the textile units in this district launching contract farming for cotton cultivation a couple of years ago, the area under the programme has gone up.

The Appachi Cotton Agronomy and Rural Empowerment Foundation, a non-governmental organisation promoted by the Pollachi-based Appachi Cotton Company, started its `Integrated Cotton Contract Farming Programme' in 2002 covering 1,000 acres in the Pollachi area.

It has now extended the project to Theni, Namakkal, Dindigul, Thanjavur, Nagapattinam and Tiruvarur districts. During 2004-2005 (October-September) the area targeted was 4,000 acres covering around 200 self-help groups of farmers.

The managing trustee of the foundation, Mani Chinnasamy, told The Hindu that the self-help groups with 15-20 farmers each were formed. The average holding of each farmer was 1.5 acres.

``This is a need-based programme and five varieties of cotton are now produced.'' During the last two years, the foundation, which acted as a facilitator, achieved 95 per cent recovery of the assistance extended by the bank from most of the farmers.

The foundation was also working on a model proposal for cultivation of organic cotton through contract farming system. However, this would depend on the response from the farmers.

Another textile unit here, Super Spinning Mills, involved in cotton contract farming is also aiming at bringing more areas under the programme.

The Chief Operating Officer of the Sara Elgi Group (of which the Super Spinning Mills is a member), K.R. Seethapathy, said the unit started its ``integrated cotton cultivation programme'' for cotton cultivation three years ago with about 60 acres in the district.

During 2003-2004 the total area under the contract farming project of the company in the State was 6,215 acres involving 2,554 farmers. The objective was to improve productivity and control contamination. The company was planning to cover 200-300 acres in the State under contract farming for cultivation of organic cotton.

To encourage contract farming, the Southern India Cotton Association was working on a model proposal, its sources said.

Mr. Chinnasamy said contract farming activities undertaken by various organisations should be given a ``special project status'' and grants provided for educating farmers and training manpower.

The annual cotton production in the State now hovered around four lakh bales as against the demand for nearly 45 lakh bales. Contract farming would give a boost to production, he said.

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