Vidarbha farmers welcome withdrawal Cotton export ban

Vidarbha farmers welcome withdrawal Cotton export ban

Nagpur- Sunday, 03/11/2012 -

Vidarbha 3 million cotton farmers who are facing crop losses and are commiting suicides @ 3 farmers a day since 2005 welcomed Union commerce and industry minister Anand Sharma announcement that the government has decided to withdraw the ban on the export of cotton from India,informed farm activist Kishore Tiwari of Vidarbha Jan Andolan Samiti VJAS,

“India, one of the largest exporters of Cotton in the world, had left alarm bells ringing across the World and cotton cultivated in more than 124 lakhs hectors and more than 7 million cotton growers are involved and this main cash crop of India but cartel which monopolies the garment export is managing commerce ministry to impose such ban since 2010 even India singed WTO has already lifted quantitative restriction on import-export and corrupt Babus with undue protect from concern minister are involved in such unjust ,untimely ,ill motivated decision hence to avoid it’s reoccurrence cotton export ban decision needs CBI probe and PM should arrange to sack his commerce minister as facts added by GOM and protest from Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar and chief ministers of Mahatshtra, Gujrat,AP and all political parties UPA and NDA hence only lifting ban is not sufficient and accumulated losses of cotton growers traders must be compensated by Govt. without delay” Tiwari urged .

Sharma said in a statement that "Keeping in view the facts, the interests of the farmers, interest of the industry, trade, a balance view has been considered by the Group of Ministers to roll back the ban and a formal order will be made public tomorrow by the Government which clearly shows that his earlier arguments supporting cotton export ban fabricated and ill intended which has lost creditably Indian export policy and cotton exportor that is unfortunate hence we demand sacking of Anand Sharma with out delay" Tiwari added.

Last month cotton was traded above @Rs.4200/- quintal but the fear of export ban brought down @Rs.3700 quintal till 3^rd march but news of export ban on 5^th march has crashed the Indian cotton prices and at Adilabad in AP and Ghatanji farmer sold the cotton @Rs.2500/- per quintal before traders started the agitation to boycott the cotton traders in most cotton markets in Maharashtra but real impact has been the restarting farm suicide spiral in vidarbha as more than 30% cotton is till lying with farmers and other 30% are with local ginners and traders hence cotton export ban has it’s severe impact as there is very little demand domestic market since October hence all arguments of commerce ministry are untrue and far from ground reality, Tiwari added.

“when Indian domestic demand is just 20 million bales as against national production of 33 million bales there is no reason put restrictions when interest of domestic textile mills are fully protected .the decision to ban Indian cotton export is another example rampant corruption going on in UPA Govt. there is big names involved in the sudden export ban will expose the all misdeeds of commerce ministry hence for the first time farmers suicide issue has given focus of wrong policies of state ,we will see that the truth is prevailed” Tiwari added.

“When UPA promotes free trade and fair trade practices to stake holders then who is strongly protecting this unfair trade practices at cost of innocent cotton farmers lives, there are 7 million cotton farmers families cultivating cotton in 12 million hectors and handful Babus and finger counting garment exporters can not ruin the rural economy of Maharashtra ,Gujrat,AP,MP,Rajthan and Punjab.when Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar said he was kept in the dark about the ban and Maharshtra Chief Minister Prathiraj Chvan ,Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy have strongly objected to the ban on cotton exports then who is protecting Anand Sharma ???”Tiwari asked.