With cotton millers and traders deciding to call off the proposed strike, the Cotton Corporation of India (CCI) has appealed to cotton farmers in the State to bring their kapas (raw or unprocessed cotton) to their nearest market yards for sale. 

“We assure you that we will continue to procure all fair-grade cotton from farmers at the minimum support price (MSP) without any interruption,” LK Gupta, Chairman and Managing Director of Cotton Corporation of India (CCI), said in a statement here on Monday.

The millers threatened to stall operations beginning Monday over concerns regarding the selection process of ginning and pressing factories for processing MSP cotton stocks.

The Cotton Corporation of India (CCI) addressed the issue in discussions with State authorities and the ginners’ association, leading to the swift resolution of the dispute. “We decided to stop operations from today but have decided to call of the strike following the assurances,” a miller said wishing anonymity.

Sources said the CCI had graded ginning mills taking quality into consideration. This would mean that the corporation would procure cotton first from the mill whose cotton processing was better. However, following the agitation and intervention of CCI officials and Telangana government, the issue was settled amicably.