In a bid to ensure adequate supply of cotton to the mills, the government has directed the Cotton Corporation of India (CCI) to buy 2.5 million bales of cotton till arrivals of fresh produce in the new cotton season starting October 2012. This is being done to create a reserve for exclusive sales to the mills in case of a shortage, however, unlike earlier times, CCI shall procure the cotton at market rates.
The move has been necessitated by the fact that textile mills are unable to maintain reserve stocks themselves as they are currently cash strapped. The slowdown in the global economy has impacted the firm’s profits and an additional blow has come in terms of the RBI not allowing the restructuring of the defaulted loans. Since most firms are small in size they do not have the financial muscle to stock up in the absence of loans.
Further India is the second largest producer of cotton, the first being China. But China does not allow any exports of the white fluff inorder to cater to its domestic factories. This not only ensures domestic supply, but also keeps the prices in check.
The strategic move of the Indian government has been appreciated but some feel the reserves are a little less. The mills consume more than 2 million bales of cotton a month, so at least 6 million bales of cotton should be kept in the reserve to make any significant impact on the market in the form of price stabilization. Moreover it is felt that the reserve should be a dynamic, which will intervene appropriately looking at the market realities.
On April 03, 2012 CCI purchased approximately 11,000 bales at Rs. 4400 per quintal from major mandis across Gujarat as per the government notification.
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