Hyderabad: Telangana Agriculture and Marketing Minister Tummala Nageswara Rao on Friday directed officials to ensure Minimum Support Price (MSP) for cotton farmers by working closely with the Cotton Corporation of India (CCI). His directive comes ahead of the 2025–26 cotton season, as market prices remain ₹1,099 per quintal below the MSP benchmark.
At a review meeting with CCI officials, the minister called for immediate and effective procurement. He announced the expansion of procurement centres from 110 to 122, including a new centre at Konaraopet in Rajanna Sircilla district.
Direct payments, tech tools, and transparency measures
To streamline operations, Tummala instructed Aadhaar-based direct bank transfers for MSP payments. He also called for training Agricultural Extension Officers on the ‘Cotton Kisan’ mobile app. Tenant farmers can register through OTP verification, he added.
Each procurement centre will have a local monitoring committee to verify quality, weight, and pricing. The government has set up a toll-free helpline (18005995779) and a WhatsApp grievance number (88972 81111). CCTV cameras will be installed, and a command control room will be created for real-time monitoring.
CCI coordination, quality control, and farmer safeguards
Tummala also directed officials to remove transport hurdles and demanded transparency in CCI’s tender terms. He urged for prompt resolution of issues such as lint percentage calculations and ginning mill participation.
State- and district-level committees will monitor the MSP rollout and liaise with CCI. “The government’s top priority is to guarantee MSP to farmers through transparent and hassle-free procurement,” he said.
