Hyderabad, Nov 16 – K.T. Rama Rao, the working president of the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), slammed both the Central and Telangana state governments for what he called “reckless negligence” over a worsening cotton procurement crisis that is crippling farmers across the state.
Rama Rao, better known as KTR, said that hundreds of thousands of cotton growers have spent the entire season harvesting, only to find that they can’t sell their crop. He accused both the BJP‑led Union government and the Congress‑led state government of ignoring the crisis and letting farmers suffer alone.
In a statement released Sunday, KTR highlighted that nearly 50 lakh acres of land were planted with cotton this year, yet neither government has acted quickly or sensitively enough to address the problem. He pointed out that Chief Minister Revanth Reddy has travelled to Delhi multiple times but never pushed the cotton issue hard enough. KTR added that MPs from both parties in Parliament have not applied pressure on the Centre, leaving the farming community “watching helplessly.”
KTR also criticized the Cotton Corporation of India (CCI) for refusing to buy cotton, citing claims that the crop’s moisture content was too high, issues with the Kapas mobile app registration, and alleged corruption at ginning mills. Because of these obstacles, farmers are not even getting the minimum support price (MSP) of ₹ 8,110 per quintal. The open‑market price, by contrast, sits between ₹ 6,000 and ₹ 7,000, leaving farmers short about ₹ 2,000 per quintal.
He pointed out that the CCI has purchased only about 1.12 lakh tonnes to date, far below the season’s projected requirement of 28.29 lakh tonnes, which he said shows the crisis is deepening.
KTR urged the Telangana government to send a delegation to Delhi immediately and launch a plan to pressure the Union government. He recalled how former Chief Minister KCR had personally intervened during past crises to secure relief for farmers.
The BRS leader’s remarks come as cotton farmers across Telangana demand faster and fairer procurement to avoid further financial losses.
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