Lok Sabha Question No. 1799 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-02-10
Subject: Cotton Farmers in Telangana
Ministry: TEXTILES
Asked by: Shri Vamsi Krishna Gaddam

## COTTON FARMERS IN TELANGANA

## 1799. SHRI VAMSI KRISHNA GADDAM:

Will the Minister of TEXTILES वस्त्र मंत्री be pleased to state :

(a)  whether  the  Government  is  aware  that  cotton  farmers  in  Mancherial  and  Peddapalli  districts  of Telangana are facing serious difficulties in selling their produce due to the limited number of Cotton Corporation of India (CCI) procurement centres;

(b) whether the Government has any proposals to establish additional CCI procurement centres in these districts to ensure easy access, prevent distress sales and guarantee fair pricing for farmers; and

(c) if so, the details thereof and the timelines for opening the new centres and if not, the reasons for not considering this long pending demand of cotton farmers?

## उत्तर

## ANSWER वस्त्र राज्  य मंत्री ( श्री पबित्र मार्घेररटा )

## THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR TEXTILES

## (SHRI PABITRA MARGHERITA)

(a): During the cotton season 2025-26, the Cotton Corporation of India Ltd. (CCI), in association with the Ministry of Textiles, prescribed norms for opening procurement centers to expand Minimum Support Price (MSP) outreach. These norms aimed to ensure that cotton farmers in every Taluka/Mandal having at least 3,000 hectares under cotton cultivation, a functional APMC, and at least one Ginning & Pressing factory are able to avail MSP benefits, while also reducing transportation distances and waiting time for farmers. Accordingly, during the cotton season 2025-26, under the jurisdiction of CCI's three branchesAdilabad,  Warangal,  and  Mahabubnagar-122  procurement centers were opened across 30 districts of Telangana,  as  compared  to  110  centers  during  2024-25.  This  included  three  procurement  centers  in Mancherial district (Luxettipet, Chennur, and Bellampally) and three procurement centers in Peddapalli district (Peddapalli, Sulthanabad, and Kamanpur).

During cotton season 2025-26, CCI has procured about 451 lakh quintals kapas (equivalent to 90 lakh bales) under MSP operations out of which 148 lakh quintals kapas (equivalent to 29.50 lakh bales) procured  in  the  State  of  Telangana,  valuing  Rs.  11,800  crores,  through  8.60  lakh  direct  farmer transactions.   Out  of  148  lakh  quintals  kapas  procured  in  the  State  of  Telangana,  5.80  lakh  quintals, valuing Rs. 463 crores, have been procured in Mancherial district, and 1.21 lakh quintals, valuing Rs. 97 crore, seed cotton has been procured in Peddapalli District.

(b) & (c): During cotton season 2025-26, additional procurement centres were opened by the Cotton Corporation of India (CCI) based on the prescribed eligibility criteria. Three procurement centers each were  opened  in  the  districts  of  Mancherial  and  Peddapalli  after  assessment  of  parameters  such  as minimum of 3,000 hectares under cotton cultivation, availability of a functional APMC, and the presence of at least one ginning and pressing factory.   Opening of procurement centres by CCI is undertaken on the basis of these objective criteria and operational requirements to ensure effective MSP operations.