S Harpal Singh
ADILABAD, SEPTEMBER 4, 2024: Despite the current spell of heavy rainfall in Telangana, the cotton crop is healthy, by and large. In hilly districts like erstwhile undivided Adilabad, the crop adjoining streams and other water bodies has been washed away.
“The weather forecast is not encouraging at all for farmers of all crops. The coming 10 days will be crucial for different crops given the prediction of more rains,” observed tribal farmer Sedmaki Someshwar from Andar Bandh village in Bheempur mandal of Adilabad district.
Cotton has been cultivated in over 10 lakh acres in Adilabad, Kumram Bheem Asifabad, Mancherial and Nirmal districts. The next days as the monsoon season heads towards its culmination will reveal if the farmers are faced with climatic adversity.
Meanwhile, cotton processing, (technically related with the current year 1 October 2023 to 30 September 2024) is said to be smooth operation. The president of the Cotton Association of India (CAI), Atul S. Ganatra, has released figures relating to the trade and processing for the period between October 1, 2023 to 31 July 2024, in a press release.
According to the release the total supply of cotton during the period in question was 363 lakh bales of 170 kg each. The total domestic demand including the non MSME, MSME and non textile consumption was 317 lakh bales.
The available surplus is of 46 lakh bales while exports came up to 26 lakh bales leaving a closing stock of 20 lakh bales.
The pressings during the period was 313.63 lakh bales. Given the opening stock of 28.9 lakh bales and imports of 8 lakh bales, the total availability of cotton was -=350.53 lakh bales.
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Photo and vide captions:
- Tribal farmer Someshwar Sedmaki proudly exhibits flowers in his cotton field.
- A farmer carrying out weeding operations in his field near KB Project in KB Asifabad district.
- Agricultural workers take shelter under an umbrella on the outbreak of a sudden spell of rain in Daboli village in KB Asifabad
