KURNOOL: The prices of groundnut and cotton — the major crops in Kurnool district — touched an all-time high at Adoni Agriculture Market Yard on Tuesday. Cotton was sold at Rs 10,461 and groundnut at Rs 7,320 per quintal. Such high prices have not been recorded for the crops in the history of the market yard.
According to agriculture officials, of the total cultivable area of 8.5 lakh hectares, cotton was cultivated in as many as 2.70 lakh hectares and groundnut in nearly 85,000 hectares during both Kharif and Rabi seasons in the district this year.
“Due to heavy rains and cyclones at the beginning of Kharif, almost 50 per cent of the crops, particularly groundnut and cotton, were damaged. In the Rabi season, crops dried up due to less rainfall. These factors led to less yield which in turn increased the demand and prices for cotton and groundnut,”
Adoni Market Yard deputy director B Sreekanth Reddy said. Adoni is the only market in the State for cotton trading under the government. The record prices made cotton farmers in the district happy. In fact, the prices crossed the support prices announced by the government — Rs 6,800 for cotton and Rs 5,600 for groundnut, Sreekanth Reddy said and added that the market received 850 quintals of cotton on Tuesday.
Explaining the high cotton prices, he said there is shortage of stock in the international cotton markets due rains, lesser cultivation of the crop and low quality at other market’s cotton. “Generally, Kurnool’s cotton seed and lint are known for their best quality across the country and traders and businessmen show interest to import the crop from here. At least 40 ginning mills were established around the Adoni Agriculture Market,” he said.
Generally, the cotton season starts in October and ends in February. However, bulk arrivals of cotton are reported in November, December and January. A cotton farmer, K Ramanji, from Kowthalam said he cultivated cotton in 8 acres and got Rs 10,000 per quintal. Kurnool’s cotton famous for its best quality “There is shortage of stock in the international cotton markets due rains, lesser cultivation of the crop and low quality at other market’s. Generally, Kurnool’s cotton seed and lint are known for their best quality across the country and traders and businessmen show interest to import the crop from here. At least 40 ginning mills were established around the Adoni Agriculture Market,” Sreekanth Reddy said.
A cotton farmer, K Ramanji from Kowthalam, said he cultivated cotton in 8 acres and got Rs 10,000 per quintal. He is happy that his hard work paid off.