BENGALURU: Union Minister of Textiles Giriraj Singh on Monday said cotton procurement and farmer outreach have increased significantly in Karnataka.
Replying to a question posed by Raichur MP G Kumar Naik, Singh said that the Minimum Support Price (MSP) operations for cotton have shown strong growth between 2024-25 and 2025-26 seasons. Naik had expressed concern over falling domestic cotton production and rising imports.
In his reply, Singh said that the Union Government protects cotton farmers by announcing MSP annually, based on Commission for Agricultural Cost and Prices (CACP) recommendations. He said in 2024-25, Cotton Corporation of India procured 25.61 lakh quintals of seed cotton (5.22 lakh bales) worth Rs 1,892 crore through 26 procurement centres in Karnataka.
“In 2025-26, so far, procurement has increased to 34.1 lakh quintals (6.82 lakh bales), valued at Rs 2,725 crore, across 37 centres, indicating a notable increase in both procurement and farmer outreach,” Singh said.
According to minister, procured cotton is sold through an independent online e-auction portal, providing transparency and competitive access for the textile industry. Kumar Naik said cotton prices crashed last year after the Centre removed import duty on cotton. “US cotton exports to India rose by over 200% between 2023-24 and 2024-25, which is worrying,” he said.