The textile minister, Mr. Santosh Kumar Gangwar yesterday said that the textile industry is not heading towards sickness due to ups and downs in the prices of cotton in the domestic market.
The prices of lint cotton during the current season have been 13% to 30% lower than the prices of cotton from corresponding period last year, thereby affecting the farmers.
Mr. Gangwar in a written reply in Lok Sabha said government has fixed the Minimum Support Price (MSP) for cotton for the current cotton year 2014-15.
The Cotton Corporation of India (CCI) purchases cotton from the farmers only under the MSP operations. Besides, the Government has taken various steps to safeguard the interests of farmers and to stabilise the prices of cotton in the market which includes fixation of Minimum Support Price, issued directives to CCI for undertaking necessary action for MSP Operations, giving particular attention to specific areas which include giving wide publicity of MSP of cotton fixed and details of procurement centres opened by CCI for MSP operations.
Opening of additional purchase centres as per requirement, constant monitoring of the operations in each centre on a daily basis by the CCI are also some of the measures recommended by the government.
Also, state agencies, the district magistrates and other state government officials, public representatives of the Panchayti Raj bodies and members of parliament have been requested to provide active support for the smooth carrying of the MSP operations, the minister added.