NAGPUR, March 31: Maharashtra's reputation for producing `White Gold' cotton, has taken a beating with 60 per cent of the crop destroyed by unseasonal rains and pest this season. El Nino whose effect has been particularly felt in the region, not to speak of pestilence, has resulted in poor production --crop worth an estimated Rs 1,800 crore failed to take off, leaving million farmers in the lurch in Maharashtra.This unseasonal rains may have left the farmer crippled but have proved to be a blessing in disguise for the State Government. With cotton crop worth about Rs 1,800 crore damaged, the government has been saved from the burden of paying farmers under the Monopoly Cotton Procurement Scheme (MCPS).
This is the first time that the Maharashtra State Cooperative Cotton Growers Marketing Federation Limited (MSCCGMF) has returned the State's sanctioned amount for cotton growers as the procurement is just 57,88,285 quintals (13 lakh bales). This proved to a boon for the funds-starved State Government aslast year it faced difficulties in paying the amount to farmers. In the last season, the government had procured 150 lakh quintals through MCPS. During this season however, only 57,88,285 quintals cotton was procured through 11 zones up to March 26. The zones are Nagpur, Wani, Yavatmal, Akola, Amravati, Khamgaon, Aurangabad, Prabhani, Parti `V', Nanded and Jalgaon. The main season of cotton procurement is between November and April.
The MSCCGMF had set up 328 cotton procurement centres last year. Looking to the higher estimate of 30 lakh bales, the federation has opened 30 new centres this year. Last year, 31.13 lakh bales (1.50 lakh quintals) cotton was procured from the State. Because of unseasonal rains last year and early this year, majority of the cotton stock damaged and only 13 lakh bales of cotton has been procured this year. Speaking to The Indian Express, N G Keley, executive director of MSCCGMF, said that this year was bad for cotton growers as the rains had damaged cotton beyondexpectations. The situation was similar to 1983-84 and 1994-95 when the Federation had received only 63 lakh and 52 lakh quintals cotton.
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
