ADILABAD: The kharif season started positively for farmers, hoping for significant crops. However, their hopes are fading due to low market prices and a severe labour shortage for cotton picking.
To address this labour deficit, farmers are hiring workers from neighbouring Yavatmal, Chandrapur and Nanded districts in Maharashtra for 15 days to a month.
Cotton is now at the picking stage, but local labourers are scarce. Farmers are offering around Rs 8 per kg for workers, providing shelter and food, along with advance payments of Rs 5,000 to Rs 10,000.
In the erstwhile Adilabad district, farmers have cultivated about 3.5 lakh hectares of cotton, with expectations of around 30 lakh quintals. The government support price is set at Rs 7,521 per quintal (with 8-12% moisture), while private traders offer Rs 7,100. Many farmers sold their cotton to private traders at Rs 6,700 per quintal, incurring losses.
Farmer Padmakar from Talmadugu urged the government to raise the support price and relax moisture content, as labour and market issues continue to plague them.
The CCI has rejected vehicles with moisture levels over 12%, leaving farmers with no choice but to sell it to private traders. Cotton purchasing began on October 25, with 573 farmers bringing their produce to market; only 47 sold to the CCI, while the majority went to private traders.