RAMANATHAPURAM: With the cotton harvest picking up pace in the district, the farmers hope that the crop price will surge in the coming weeks. At present, cotton is sold for an average of Rs 65 per kg, while the same season last year witnessed the price rise up to Rs 103 per kg. Being the most widely cultivated crop in the district after paddy and chilli, cotton was cultivated on about 8,800 hectares this year. Usually, cotton is cultivated in two seasons; the first season starts in January-February and lasts till April.
Agriculture officials said the acreage for cotton cultivation soared this year owing to the high prices the crop fetched last year. The total harvest is likely to cross 2 lakh metric tonnes this year. At present, farmers are opting for regulatory markets to sell their produce. More than 1.4 lakh tonnes of cotton was harvested during the season last year and it was sold through the regulatory markets.
"Last year, the prices were well above Rs 100 per kg in the harvest season initial phase, but during season end, it plummeted to Rs 65 per kg. Now, the initial phase price itself is Rs 65. We hope that it will increase in the coming weeks," said Bakkianathan, a farmer from Ramanathapuram.