Even as the Punjab Mandi Board has gone hi-tech, the desired results are barely visible.

Under the Technology Mission on Cotton (TMC), the Mandi Board has installed a number of state-of-the-art machines at various mandis. Among the most prominent machines is High Volume Fibre Tester Series (HVFTS) machine, which calculates parameters like the staple length of the fibre, its micronaire value (which determines the finesse or coarseness of the cotton fibre) and its strength among other things.

The minimum support price (MSP) of cotton in Punjab is Rs 2,800. According to a September circular of the Ministry of Textiles, cotton, whose staple length is between 27.7 mm and 28.5 mm (that falls in the long staple category) and whose micronaire value is between 4.0 and 4.8, qualifies for the Rs 2,800-MSP.

“The installation of the machines had become all the more significant with the government declaring support price on the basis of parameters like staple length and micronaire value,” says Vijay Sharma, in-charge, Mandi laboratories, which are located across the state.

The Mandi Board has already installed the HVFTS machines at five different places, including Bathinda, one of the major cotton markets in the cotton belt of Malwa. The machines cost more than Rs 16 lakh each, said Sharma.

A visit to the cotton mandi in Bathinda, however, revealed that the farmers had failed to reap the benefits of the cutting edge technology.

“I have already sold my cotton to a private player for less than the fixed MSP. I was not aware that a machine could find out the quality of my cotton,” said a farmer, Jeet Singh, of Bhagu village, while shooting a query, “Can I get it done now?”

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