Vidarbha farmers welcomes Sharad Pawar’s plea to PM to lift Cotton Export Ban

Vidarbha farmers welcomes Sharad Pawar’s plea to PM to lift Cotton Export Ban

Nagpur- March 6, 2012

Vidarbha cotton growing 3 Million farmers today welcomes the initiative of India's farm minister Sharad Pawar who he has requested the prime minister to lift a ban on cotton exports announced this week, saying he had been kept in the dark about the decision. Sharad Pawar told reporters informed media that "This is a very serious issue.I was kept in dark on the issue and have requested the prime minister for revocation of the ban as our production is higher this year and farmers are complaining of falling prices." .India banned cotton exports on Monday to ensure supplies for domestic mills, boosting global prices as the absence of shipments from the world's second-largest producer might tighten a market facing weak demand but revoked protest from all political parties and activist thought-out India as this move was baseless and ill motivated too, now GOM meeting has been called on 9^th march to correct commerce unjust and lift the ban put cotton under OGL, Kishore Tiwari of Vidarbha Janandolan Samiti (VJAS) informed in press note .

The most controversial decision of the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) in the Commerce Ministry announcing the ban on cotton export with immediate effect without any consultation with concerned textile ministry and agriculture ministry on commerce ministry baseless plea that there is shortfall in domestic market when Textiles industry is expressing reservations over government's decision to ban cotton exports, saying domestic millers have enough stock to meet requirement has raised eyebrows of farm activist of vidarbha region where cotton farmers’ are committing suicides due agrarian crisis and cotton price failure mainly due to export restrictions and monopolies few MNCs who are controlling total input-output of cotton crop. This is decision of export ban has shocked Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar and textile industry by surprise that the move would prove "disastrous" for farmers as last year too commerce ministry put needless ban on cotton export when prices and demand in the international market was very good and farmers and traders were forced to offload stock to local mill owners in throw price and textile was blamed for that but this time it is reported that this move of commerce ministry has been taken textile industry as a surprise and CITI Secretary General D K Nair said "The ban has surprised us. “A meeting in textiles ministry was held few days back where we told that the government’s intervention is not needed in the cotton market. On March 2, our chairman wrote a letter to the government saying that no government intervention is needed and yet it has been done”, the government had imposed restrictions on cotton exports for few months which is ill motivated”, which is clear indication that move to ban cotton export when it is needed most has been deep rooted scam by handful babus in commerce hence vidarbha farmers has written to parliament panel on agriculture who is looking after truth of cotton farmers’ suicides for CBI probe of recent order of commerce ministry putting restriction on cotton export ,Kishore Tiwari of Vidarbha Janandolan Samiti (VJAS) added in press note .

“Indian cotton production is around 34 million bales as against domestic demand of 20 million bales and there was last year stock of 8 million bales ,there is less demand in domestic market hence prices of cotton are around @Rs.3500/- quintal as against global prices which are above @ Rs.5000/- quintal hence all arguments of commerce for export ban are ridiculous more recent disclosure Agri. Minister sharad pawar ,textile minister and textile mil owners association has exposed unjust ,unholy and unwanted ban which is result of large scale massive corruption in commerce ministry, we will take this issue to all forum relief and moving PIL too in Nagpur bench of Mumbai High court so that cotton farmers get fair deal in this state owned unfair trade practices protected by Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma, export ban scam is annual corruption of commerce ministry by changing EXIM policies to suit handful touts who defeco ministers running Govt. keeping dark parliament and nation ”Tiwari added.

‘This ban on cotton export is completely contradict earlier announcement that this year there will no export ban on cotton and there was huge cry last year when Indian farmers were forced to sell cotton in throw away price when there was crop failure through out the world and UPA said that we will not repeat the same while the ban on export of cotton. Today decision is bias to favor garment manufactures who are close congress party and decision is in exchange of huge funding to the party and Union Minister for Commerce & Industry and Textiles Anand Sharma is involved in this corruption hence we demand CBI of the whole issue’Tiwari said .