RAYAGADA: Cotton farmers of Rayagada district are a distraught lot. Those who purchased cotton seeds under the ‘Better Cotton Initiative’ have alleged that the seeds had not germinated, pouring cold water over their hopes of a good harvest.Cotton cultivation which was introduced in the district by Andhra Pradesh farmers a decade and a half ago picked up momentum only recently after a bad phase in the last few years. The farmers looked for alternatives when the minimum support price (MSP) of cotton was not remunerative enough. However, it drastically gained ground when the MSP increased two-fold a couple of years back from a mere ` 2,000 per quintal to ` 3,500. In fact the market price realised by the cotton growers was hovering between ` 3,700 and ` 6,100 last year prompting the cultivators to increase the area of cultivation from 13,291 hectares to 17,350 during the current kharif. Despite wide acceptance by the farmers, the poor quality of seeds has left most of them worried about their future prospects. A farmer from Rajam in Gunupur is worried about repayment of the loans he had availed of for cotton farming as the seeds have not germinated. District Collector Nitin Bhanudas Jawale reportedly entrusted the task of investigating the matter to DRDA Project Administrator Premanidhi Seth. The cotton produced in the district is of high quality. “It is reflected in the average staple length of the cotton which is in the order of 30-33 mm, high ginning percentage, low micronaire, low moisture quality and low trash,” said an official, who is in the know of things.
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