Formula to make cotton procurement easy

The formula essentially seeks to remove procedural and other wrangles that usually crop up during procurement and payment by the state-government8217;s cotton monopoly purchase federations, the sole buyers of their produce.

According to Raote8217;s suggestions, to which Mundada has reportedly consented, farmers will receive their first cheque, instalement within eight days of selling their produce to the federations. Since the banks through which the payment is made have been given adequatedeposits, they must honour all the cheques issued by the federation, it is envisaged. Banks which refuse to honour the cheques will have their accounts closed down.

To prevent blackmarketing by traders, who tempt farmers by offering direct cash payments, vigilence committees will be set up at the district and village levels. These committees will report such instances to the police. Traders purchase the produce at a cost much lower than that assured by the state government. However, the delay in encashing the federations8217; cheques thrusts the farmers into the middleman8217;s cluthces.

The traders then sell the cotton directly to the cotton federations at the attractive price of Rs 2,100 per quintal, earning between Rs 500 and 600 per quintal.

In the first such crackdown by Sainiks, senior party leader, Pratap Bangar and Radhakrishna Gaikwad, blocked a few trucks loaded with cotton on the Karmad-Aurangabad road. Inquiries revealed that the trader had bought cotton at the rate of Rs 1,800 per quintal fromminor farmers in his village. A complaint against the trader was later lodged with the Karmad police.

The formula also states that employees graders at the cotton monopoly purchase centres will work in two shifts to ensure swift purchases. It will also spare farmers the agony of waiting for days together in long queues outside these centres.

The cotton centres have also been directed to purchase even small quantities of cotton. Till now, they have been purchasing a minimum 100 kg of cotton per farmer. Now the quantity can be as little as 5 kg. The formula also proposes that every purchase centre will use electronic weighing machines. The administration has been asked to make adequate arrangements to set up zunka bhakar stalls at the cotton purchase centres.

Raote told Express Newsline that the 12-point formula is meant to iron out the cotton purchase process and not place hurdles in the employees8217;s way.