Cotton growing factors do not show a rosy scenario
10 Apr '07
1 min read
Domestic cotton purchase rate is set by Government every year within a program called Guaranteed Purchase Plan of Agricultural Products.
This year farmers in Iran are facing a nightmare as Government has increased the purchase rate of cotton only by 11 percent as compared to last year while the production cost has increased by 100 to 300 percent.
Cotton farmers are not happy with the growth in prices, which are not at all in proportion with 100 percent rise of herbicides and fertilizers rates.
Sources from Iran Cotton Fund revealed that cultivators are reluctant to sign new agreements with Government for cotton production. The farmers cautioned that if this condition prevails they would stop growing cotton and textile industry would have to depend on import only.
In Iran, provinces of Mazandaran, Fars, Markazi, East Azarbaijan, Tehran, Kermanshah, Semnan, Kerman, Golestan and Khorasan produce cotton.
In recent years cotton farming has deteriorated drastically because of low prices, rising production costs and delays in compensation to farmers.