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"I have got reports that nearly 30 per cent of total cotton production this year was lying around in Gujarat, Vidarbha, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra. I do not see any demand from the textile industry in these states," Pawar said.
"This cotton is lying with farmers, ginners, and some with traders. Of this, if 15-20 per cent can be used in the country, there is a ten per cent surplus which can be exported. Cotton production this year was 35 million bales against 33 million bales last year. The central government`s policy on cotton export ban gives negative signals to other countries about our exporters. This policy gives a signal to other countries that Indian suppliers are not reliable. I do not want this situation to persist," Pawar said.
"In 2004-05, the country was not self-sufficient in cotton and even then there was no ban on export. Today, when we are self-sufficient in cotton, putting a ban on exports is not right," Pawar said. The NCP chief said he had made a representation to the appropriate authority and expected a positive outcome.
Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, in a meeting with Pawar earlier, objected to Cotton Corporation of India`s "complacency" in cotton procurement in Gujarat, and urged him to direct the authority to start buying cotton at minimum support price (MSP) in the state.
