Cotton ginners in Gujarat, who have been on an indefinite strike since May 15, have decided to continue the strike till a meeting of the Cotton Advisory Board (CAB) is convened.
This was told by the Saurashtra Ginners Association (SGA), after a meeting with senior ministers in the government.
A delegation from the SGA met central government ministers, including Dayanidhi Maran – Textiles Minister to persuade the government to lift the cap on exports and permit exports of 1.5 million more bales (1 bale = 170 kg).
The government assured the ginners that they will convene a meeting of the CAB to discuss the issue.
The 1,000 odd cotton ginners of Gujarat are on strike since May 15, demanding removal of a cap of 5.5 million bales of cotton, announced by the Central Government, early this year.
Cotton prices have fallen from a peak of Rs 62,000 per candy (1 candy = 356 kg) in April to Rs 44,500 per candy yesterday, which has sent the entire cotton value-chain, except the spinners in to a panic.