Surendranagar: With demand for cotton from countries like China dipping, farmers in Saurashtra region of Gujarat are facing an uncertain future with drastic drop in cotton prices this year.
While last year, 20 kilograms of cotton fetched around Rs 1200, this year, the price has gone down to Rs 700. To make matters worse for the farmers, the cost of farming has been steadily increasing over the years.
Though the Cotton Corporation of India (CCI) has announced a support price for the crop, farmers on the ground are worried.
Kirit Patel, a farmer in Khodu village of Surendranagar district, had cultivated the crop on his 9 bighas of land. But despite the good yield, he is contemplating selling off his land due to drastic fall in prices.
"We are going through a difficult time," lamented Mr Patel. "I have hardly got the price for our produce. I had borrowed money for cultivating the crop and now with hardly any returns, I don't know how we will repay. I may have to sell my land."
A few kilometres away in the same village, Devjibhai also stares at difficult days ahead. Although he has no land of his own, he had borrowed some land and was supposed to share the profits from the yield with the owner.
He says that the price of the yield is not enough to recover even the cost of seeds and fertilizers.
"My kid was doing well in studies but had to drop him out from the school. I have no option with hardly any income left now,'' said Devjibhai.
In Kholadiyan village, Vanraj Padharia, who is comparatively better-off and who owns 52 bighas of land, is still holding on to his crop.
Hoping for a cost correction, he has dumped his produce at his home. But he said that he cannot hold it for long as the produce would be damaged. The fallout of this decision is that he has had to postpone his daughter's marriage, he added.
"If I go for my daughter's marriage, we will have to give 8 to 9 tolas (around 100 grams) of gold to the in-laws. How can I afford that at a time when I don't know how I am going to sell my cotton stock," said Mr Padharia.
Gujarat contributes over one-third of the country's total cotton production.
While last year, 20 kilograms of cotton fetched around Rs 1200, this year, the price has gone down to Rs 700. To make matters worse for the farmers, the cost of farming has been steadily increasing over the years.
Though the Cotton Corporation of India (CCI) has announced a support price for the crop, farmers on the ground are worried.
"We are going through a difficult time," lamented Mr Patel. "I have hardly got the price for our produce. I had borrowed money for cultivating the crop and now with hardly any returns, I don't know how we will repay. I may have to sell my land."
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He says that the price of the yield is not enough to recover even the cost of seeds and fertilizers.
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In Kholadiyan village, Vanraj Padharia, who is comparatively better-off and who owns 52 bighas of land, is still holding on to his crop.
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"If I go for my daughter's marriage, we will have to give 8 to 9 tolas (around 100 grams) of gold to the in-laws. How can I afford that at a time when I don't know how I am going to sell my cotton stock," said Mr Padharia.
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