Cotton growers in Maha in trouble due to govt's import policy: Anil Deshmukh

NCP leader Anil Deshmukh on Tuesday said cotton growers in Maharashtra are suffering as prices have fallen due to the Union governments wrong import policy. Cotton was sown on about 42.11 lakh hectares in 2022-23 compared to 39.36 lakh hectare previous year, he said.But due to imports, prices crashed, the NCP alleged.

NCP leader Anil Deshmukh on Tuesday said cotton growers in Maharashtra are suffering as prices have fallen due to the Union government's wrong import policy. Farmers had sown cotton in a big way due to the good rates they had got last season, but production went down due to excess rains, the former Maharashtra ministers told reporters here. Cotton was sown on about 42.11 lakh hectares in 2022-23 compared to 39.36 lakh hectare previous year, he said.

But due to imports, prices crashed, the NCP alleged. The BJP-led Union government waived the 11 percent import duty on cotton bales during September-October 22, Deshmukh said.

The state and Union governments should immediately take steps to address this problem as around 40 percent farmers in Maharashtra have still stocked cotton expecting a rise in prices, he said.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)