Sonepur: Farmers in Sonepur district have got a bumper cotton harvest this year, but there are no takers for the produce. Some cotton farmers in the district are resorting to distress sale in the absence of mandis, a report said.
Farmers had hoped for handsome earnings from this farming, but their hopes are fading, causing a lot of resentment among the farmers.
Cotton, known as white diamond, is cultivated in majorly in Birmaharajpur sub-division. As cotton does not need much water, farmers have been farming cotton over last few years even in unirrigated areas like Sonepur and Tarabha blocks.
Cotton mandis are there in neibouring Bolangir. Farmers have to go to CCI mandi at Bolangir. Owing to transportation cost for long distances, they are reluctant to go there.
A cotton mandi has been built by Badakhamar regulated marketing committee in Birmaharajpur, but it has not been made operational. In such a situation, they are forced to sell the cotton to middlemen, who take the produce at throwaway prices. As a result, cotton farmers have to face huge losses.
At many places, cotton has already been harvested while at some other places, harvesting is underway.
This year, cotton has been raised in 5000 hectares of land at Tentulimahada, Anadapur, Jatosingh, Bagbar, Mursundhi, Kenjhariapalli, Bhalpadar, Khandahata, Durjantaila, Kalapatha, Jaelaye and Ullunda.
Farmers sell cotton for Rs 3000 to Rs 4000 per quintal.
Gadadhar Panda, a farmer of Anandapur, said that the Cotton Corporation of India and millers have formed a nexus that creates conditions for distress sale.
Although the government has fixed the price of Rs 5,400 per quintal, farmers are being forced to sell their produce at much cheaper rates.
“As the government agencies are not buying our produce, we are forced to sell to the local traders,” said a cotton farmer.
Farmers produce cotton worth Rs 60 to 70 crore alone in Birmaharajpur and Ullunda blocks. In totality, the district produces cotton worth Rs 100 crore.
Farmers like Kuber Mendalli and Birupakhya Barik said the regional office of the CCI is at Rayagada. The CCI officials are not coming to the district to buy cotton, despite repeated complaints. The CCI and millers are not working in cooperation, forcing farmers to sell cotton at cheaper prices, they observed.
On the other hand, the district administration says, it has been holding talks with CCI to buy cotton, but in reality nothing happens.
The administration explains that as the district produces less cotton than other districts, millers are unwilling to come here. Still, there are efforts to get the millers to agree to buy cotton in Sonepur, it was said.
PNN