BHAWANIPATNA: In a first, cotton from Kalahandi district is being exported to Bangladesh by Cotton Corporation of India. The first cotton rake was loaded at Junagarh on Wednesday. A consignment of 6500 bales of cotton weighing around 2471 tonnes will be shipped to Benapol station in Bangladesh by train.
Kalahandi grows State’s finest cotton. It also is the biggest cotton growing district where over 60,575 hectare across Bhawanipatna, Kesinga, Golamunda, Narla, Karlamunda and Lanjigarh blocks are under cultivation for cotton.
According to Agriculture Department sources, around 5,50,576 quintal seed cotton has already been procured in the district so far through three cotton mandis at Karlapada, Utkela and Utchla. Besides Cotton Corporation, six private parties are procuring the cash crop from the district this season that promises an estimated 7 lakh quintals of production of seed cotton.
Plucking of cotton in three phases has been completed with the last phase in progress. Divisional Manager of Sambalpur under East Coast Railway Pradeep Kumar appreciated the efforts of officers and staff in facilitating the shipment by train.