Group of ministers to take a call on increasing cotton export quota

08 Jun 2011 Evaluate

An informal group of ministers is likely to decide whether to permit cotton exports beyond the current ceiling of 55 lakh bales for the current season or not. A decision will be taken on the demand of allowing exports of another 15 lakh bales of cotton to exhaust the excess stocks. Against the backdrop of the demand from the Agriculture Ministry, supported by the Commerce Ministry, that the 55 lakh bales limit be raised. Cotton season runs from October to September and the total cotton production, estimated by the Cotton Advisory Board is 320 lakh bales while, the domestic consumption of cotton is estimated to be 240 lakh bales, hence as per current scenario there is surplus of cotton in the country.

The government on February 25 had put a cap of 55 lakh bales (170 kg each) on natural fibre exports for the 2010-11 season to protect domestic textiles industry in the wake of rising prices of the raw material. If export allotted till February, was 65 lakh bales. The cap was decided by the group comprising Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar, Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma and Textiles Minister Dayanidhi Maran.

It has been reported that there is unsold stock with the traders of about 45 lakh bales and about 1.5 million bales may be brought to the market by the farmers. But the spinning units are averse to any such decision as further exports may create scarcity of cotton supplies in the domestic market as they have also expressed their concern that if the export quota is increased it will only help the middlemen as the growers are not having excess stock. “Cotton prices have softened to about Rs 45,000 a candy from Rs 62,000 a candy. If the exports are resumed, the millers will have to suspend operations. Given the high cotton prices at present, they would not even recover the variable cost component for the spinning industry.”

According to the Cotton Advisory Board figures, the crop forecast for the current season has been lowered at 312 lakh bales in April from 329 lakh bales due to unseasonal rains in states like Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra in last December. Meanwhile, the International Cotton Advisory Committee has said that global cotton production could reach 27.3 million tonnes by 2012 due to improving prices. It said after seven consecutive months of increase, cotton prices significantly tumbled in April but have stabilized at record high levels.

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