Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Friday requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi to direct the Cotton Corporation of India to start cotton procurement in Tamil Nadu. He also requested him to direct the Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare to make the Kharif Minimum Support Price (MSP) for cotton effective henceforth from June 1 in the State in the coming years.
In a letter, Mr. Stalin highlighted the plight of the cotton farmers due to the steep fall in cotton prices during the ongoing harvest season. Though the previous year proved to be highly profitable for the cotton farmers, as they sold cotton at ₹12,000 a quintal, they found themselves in a difficult situation as the prices plummeted to ₹5,500 a quintal.
