Date:03/12/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/12/03/stories/2008120351130300.htm

Andhra Pradesh - Karimnagar

CCI initiative to clear stocks

Staff Reporter

Agricultural market yards to remain closed

State urged to provide a week-long holiday
Farmers told not to sell produce at lesser rates

KARIMNAGAR: In order to clear the huge arrivals of cotton by the Cotton Corporation of India (CCI) at the agricultural market yards, all the agricultural market committees in the district have been closed from December 2 to 9.

From October till date, over 5 lakh quintals of cotton arrived at various market yards in the district and the CCI had procured more than 90 per cent of cotton from farmers by providing minimum support price.

The Jammikunta agricultural market committee had done a record business of Rs. 77 crore from October this year with the procurement of about 1.5 lakh quintals of cotton by providing minimum support price of Rs. 3,000 for Grade A and Rs. 2,970 for Grade B varieties.

With the piling up of procured cotton at the market yards and the ginning mills, the CCI had urged the government to provide a week-long holiday to clear all the stocks in the market yards so that they could procure fresh arrivals.

Accordingly, the markets have declared holidays from December 2 to 9 for the clearance of stocks.

However, the Jammikunta agricultural market committee had functioned on Tuesday and procured about 50,000 bags of cotton from farmers.

Market committee chairman T. Sammi Reddy said that their market would be closed only from December 3 to 6.

He appealed to farmers not to sell their produce to traders at lesser rates and assured of procuring cotton after the opening of market by providing minimum support price.