Because of the cotton price mechanism, Union minister for road transport and highways Nitin Gadkari said on Saturday, nagpur : Over 10,000 farmers in five Vidarbha districts had died by suicide.
“The farm distress was most pronounced in Yavatmal, Wardha, Buldhana, Akola and Washim,” said Gadkari at an event organised by Orange City Garment Cluster.
Citing maize, Gadkari said, “When we made ethanol from maize, the price was Rs 1,200 per quintal and the MSP was Rs 1,800. Once permission was given, it went to Rs 2,600 per quintal and Rs 45,000 crore went into the pockets of Bihar and UP farmers. cotton farmers get the option to sell to the govt at a pre-fixed minimum support price (MSP), which farm activists have often said does not help to recover expenses While open market prices get swayed due to demand-supply factors.
To buttress his point, the Union minister said a product’s value chain must be enhanced to get a higher price for the raw material. Apart from value-chain enhancement, Gadkari said the crops grown in Vidarbha need a push on both yield and cost. We must raise their productivity and reduce expenditure cost,” he said.
what he meant was the different aspects impacting the price for farm produce While Gadkari did not elaborate on the cotton price mechanism. “Cotton, oranges, soyabean and tur are the lifeline of Vidarbha.