Parliament Question: Extension of cotton procurement by CCI

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF TEXTILES RAJYA SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO-3355 ANSWERED ON- 20/03/2026 EXTENSION OF COTTON PROCUREMENT BY CCI 3355. SHRI SANJAY RAUT: Will the Minister of TEXTILES be pleased to state: (a) whether Government is aware that cotton farmers in Maharashtra are facing distress during the 2025-26 season due to market prices falling below MSP and delays and limitations in procurement by the Cotton Corporation of India (CCI); (b) details of MSP fixed and total quantity procured by CCI in Maharashtra during the last three years, year- wise and district-wise and the quantity still remaining unsold with farmers; (c) whether Government has received representations regarding losses due to imports, procurement delays and procedural barriers; and (d) the steps taken to ensure full procurement at MSP and protect Maharashtra’s cotton farmers from distress sale and financial hardship? ANSWER THE MINISTER OF TEXTILES (SHRI GIRIRAJ SINGH) (a): All cotton offered by farmers at the MSP rates is procured as per prescribed guidelines and district- wise yield declared by the state. On the request of the state, the last date of procurement in the State of Maharashtra was extended from 28.02.2026 to 15.03.2026 to enable remaining farmers to take advantage of MSP scheme. (b) & (c): Statement showing MSP rates of cotton, along with year-wise and district-wise quantity of cotton procured by the Cotton Corporation of India (CCI) in the State of Maharashtra during the last three years, is enclosed at Annexure. With regard to the quantity of cotton remaining unsold with farmers, it is stated that, as per the meeting of the Committee on Cotton Production and Consumption (COCPC) held on 08.12.2025, cotton production in Maharashtra was estimated at 72.66 lakh bales based on the First Advance Estimates of the Ministry of Agriculture. Further, as per market information, almost the entire amount of cotton has already arrived in the markets in the State. (d): To ensure that the benefits of MSP reach a larger section of cotton farmers, CCI has been appointed as the Central Nodal Agency under the Ministry of Textiles for undertaking MSP operations across the country, including Maharashtra. In coordination with the Ministry, CCI expanded the State's procurement network to 168 centres across 21 districts, under its Akola and Aurangabad branches, up from 128 in 2024–25, ensuring wider coverage of cotton-growing areas. In the 2025–26 cotton season, CCI has introduced several farmer- centric initiatives, including the “Kapas Kisan App” for self-registration and slot booking, SMS alerts for real- time updates, extensive awareness campaigns, and Local Monitoring Committees and helplines to ensure smooth procurement operations and safeguard farmers’ interests.Annexure Statement showing MSP rates of cotton, as declared by the Govt. of India during the last three cotton seasons and current year: Medium Staple (Staple length 24.5 mm -25.5 Long Staple (Staple length 29.5 mm -30.5 mm mm & Miconaire 4.3 - 5.1) & Miconaire 3.5 - 4.3) Cotton Increase in MSP Increase in MSP Season MSP rate (Rs./Quintal) MSP rate (Rs./Quintal) Rs./Quintal % Rs./Quintal % 2022-23 6,080 354 6.18% 6,380 355 5.89% 2023-24 6,620 540 8.88% 7,020 640 10.03% 2024-25 7,121 501 7.57% 7,521 501 7.14% 2025-26 8,110 7,710 589 8.27% 589 7.83% Statement showing District-wise details of MSP operation of Cotton in the State of Maharashtra during the Cotton Season 2025-26: (as on 16.03.2026) Value Sr. No. Branch District Progressive Purchase in Bales No. Of Farmers (in ₹ lakhs) 1 Akola 378527 147183 76737 2 Amravati 365455 143029 76188 3 Buldhana 146025 56089 34863 4 Chandrapur 282786 111272 59740 5 Akola Branch Gadchiroli 10832 4225 2597 6 Nagpur 47017 18379 10290 7 Wardha 121774 47494 31536 8 Washim 35131 13662 9034 9 Yavatmal 415497 162808 113967 10 Ahmednagar 51709 20017 16949 11 Aurangabad 106939 41254 26576 12 Beed 116482 44710 24087 13 Dhule 89541 34768 17783 14 Hingoli 28995 11255 10105 15 Jalgaon 128115 49743 27745 Aurangabad Branch 16 Jalna 168680 65196 31646 17 Latur 1690 649 423 18 Nanded 42228 16285 13360 19 Nandurbar 61522 23837 15607 20 Nashik 261 103 50 21 Parbhani 198435 76295 48118 Total 2797641 1088253 647401Statement showing District-wise details of MSP operation of Cotton in the State of Maharashtra during the Cotton Season 2024-25: Sr. No. Branch District Progressive Purchase in Bales Value (in ₹ lakhs) No. Of Farmers 1 Akola 453767 165322 83838 2 Amravati 270183 97322 57235 3 Buldhana 181668 66309 33999 4 Chandrapur 242167 88664 56214 5 Akola Branch Gadchiroli 5014 1824 1145 6 Nagpur 30697 11428 7309 7 Wardha 168683 61738 43741 8 Washim 30048 11128 6804 9 Yavatmal 427865 156583 110367 10 Ahmednagar 59553 21750 14644 11 Aurangabad 145888 53134 27320 12 Beed 138722 50062 26745 13 Dhule 76455 27750 13149 14 Hingoli 36596 13447 9549 Aurangabad Branch 15 Jalgaon 95774 34763 16500 16 Jalna 177797 64589 30079 17 Nanded 58974 21537 15413 18 Nandurbar 61334 22244 14271 19 Parbhani 279966 101834 58944 Total 2941151 1071429 627266 Statement showing District-wise details of MSP operation of Cotton in the State of Maharashtra during the Cotton Season 2023-24: Sr. No. Branch District Progressive Purchase in Bales Value (in ₹ lakhs) No. Of Farmers 1 Akola 62000 21391 11042 2 Amravati 10619 3648 2566 3 Buldhana 20875 7196 4293 4 Chandrapur 21985 7519 4406 Akola Branch 5 Nagpur 7224 2535 1539 6 Wardha 7638 2606 2162 7 Washim 7889 2738 1664 8 Yavatmal 20730 7179 4872 9 Ahmednagar 113 38 25 10 Aurangabad 1444 483 329 11 Beed 916 318 205 12 Dhule 5222 1747 816 13 Hingoli 1109 376 362 Aurangabad Branch 14 Jalgaon 16702 5702 3085 15 Jalna 29622 10127 4828 16 Nanded 14774 5025 3918 17 Nandurbar 796 272 230 18 Parbhani 14441 4908 3220 Total 244099 83809 49562 Note: During Cotton Season 2022-23, Market prices of cotton were ruling above MSP. Hence, no MSP support was required by farmers. ****