HYDERABAD: Congress party former MP Ponnam Prabhakar has demanded that the state government prevail upon the Cotton Corporation of India (CCI) and see that the cotton farmers do not resort to distress sale.Prabhakar submitted a memorandum to Chief Secretary SP Singh at secretariat here on Saturday to this effect. Speaking to reporters later, Prabhakar alleged that the traders were offering below support price to cotton at several markets citing that moisture content was high in cotton.
He said the cotton was drenched due to recent rains and that was the reason for high moisture. “The state government should spend the money allocated to market intervention funds and pay reasonable price to the cotton farmers,” Prabhakar demanded.
The Congress leader disputed with marketing minister T Harish Rao’s claim that the traders and CCI were paying more than the support price to cotton farmers at 200 centres. “Let Harish Rao come to Karimnagar. I will show how farmers are selling the cotton for lesser prices,” he said.