Cotton exports to neighboring countries permitted

24 Mar 2012 Evaluate

Cotton exports to neighboring countries including Bangladesh and Pakistan have been resumed. However only those orders have been allowed that can be transported through the land route. Further the Commerce Ministry has decided that no new registration certificates (RCs) will be issued and exports shall be allowed only from the existing ones after proper scrutiny.

The commerce ministry has so far stuck to its stand of shortage of domestic supply of fiber and though the export ban has been lifted, no new orders are being entertained. Permission for exports is only being granted to the existing orders after scrutiny and in the first phase those have been passed that can be transported to neighboring countries through the land route.

In another development, the Commerce & Industry Minister Anand Sharma, who also holds the textiles portfolio, has demanded that the Minimum Support Price (MSP) of cotton be hiked. The demand comes in wake of suggestions from Maharashtra that has demanded a MSP of Rs 4,000 a quintal against the prevailing market price of Rs 3,100-Rs 3,350 a quintal.

India is the second largest exporter of cotton in the world with 70% of its exports going to China. On 5 March the Commerce Ministry issued a notification banning the exports of the fiber stating lack of its domestic availability. However the decision evoked sharp reactions domestically as well as internationally. Finally under political pressure the Ministry agreed to a partial rollback of the ban. A final decision is still pending and will be taken by a group of ministers, headed by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, over the next few days.

© 2025 The Alchemists Ark Pvt. Ltd. All rights reserved. MoneyWorks4Me ® is a registered trademark of The Alchemists Ark Pvt. Ltd.

×