The Cotton Corporation of India has set up 59 centers in Telangana this year. These are an addition to the 84 centers already existing. The centers usually run for two or three days a week. Now they will be open on all working days. Reason: an estimated cotton produce of 2.81 million metric tons is expected to reach market yards in Telangana in 2017-18, from 1.86 million hectares of land sowed. In 2016-17, the area sowed was 1.24 million hectares, which yielded 2.47 million metric tons of produce.

There has been a 50 per cent increase in sowing. Cotton has been sown on 1.86 million hectares of land for the first time in the history of Telangana. A huge amount of produce is anticipated to come in from October. Although cotton enjoys a minimum support price, there are fears excess production might cause some unrest among farmers in case they do not get the price they are expecting. Earlier, in May, excess production caused a price crash. The minimum support price for cotton this year is Rs 4320 per quintal and was Rs 4,160 last year.

Farmers have gone in for cotton expecting higher returns. Telangana is taking every step to maintain transparency in minimum support price operations and also to mitigate problems if they are identified.