The Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court has taken a firm stance on the pressing issue of cotton procurement in Maharashtra's Vidarbha region. On Thursday, the court directed the Cotton Corporation of India (CCI) to submit precise and comprehensive records detailing all procurement activities for the current season. This directive came during the hearing of a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) that highlights a critical gap between the region's vast cotton cultivation and the government's procurement capacity, leaving farmers in a lurch.
Court Seeks Clarity on Procurement Numbers and Locations
A division bench comprising Justices Anil Killor and Rajnish Vyas was hearing the PIL filed by Shriram Satpute of the Grahak Panchayat Maharashtra. The judges explicitly asked CCI to clarify the exact quantity of cotton purchased and the specific facilities used for the procurement. The petition underscores a major concern: the number and operational efficiency of procurement centres are woefully inadequate for Vidarbha's massive scale of cotton farming.
In its submission to the court, the CCI stated that 89 dedicated cotton procurement centres are currently operational across Vidarbha. Furthermore, the corporation revealed that procurement is also being carried out through an additional 346 locations via ginning and pressing factories. Not satisfied with just this overview, the bench has ordered the CCI to file "complete details" of all these 346 centres. The court has set a deadline of December 23 for submitting this detailed report.
Vast Mismatch Between Cultivation Area and Procurement Infrastructure
The case has starkly exposed the severe mismatch between the area under cotton cultivation and the available infrastructure to support farmers. In a previous hearing, court-appointed amicus curiae Purushottam Patil and the petitioner had submitted affidavits based on ground visits to villages in Nagpur district and interactions with farmers.
Their findings were alarming. The affidavits stated that cotton is cultivated over a staggering 16,86,485 hectares in the Vidarbha region. To adequately serve farmers across this vast area, the affidavits argued, a minimum of 557 procurement centres would be required. The ground reality, however, paints a grim picture, with only 89 centres actually functioning as per the CCI's own admission.
Court Stresses Need for Functional, Pre-Season Planning
Making a pointed oral observation, the bench emphasized that merely announcing the opening of procurement centres is not enough. The authorities have a responsibility to ensure these centres operate "at full capacity." The judges highlighted a crucial systemic failure, stating that the effectiveness of procurement facilities must be ensured well before the cotton buying season commences.
This proactive planning is essential to prevent farmers from being forced into long, agonizing waits or being compelled to sell their produce under distress conditions, often at prices lower than the government's Minimum Support Price (MSP). The court's intervention seeks to bring accountability and foresight into a process that directly impacts the livelihoods of thousands of cotton growers in Vidarbha.
The next steps in this case will be closely watched, as the data submitted by the CCI on December 23 will provide a clearer picture of whether the procurement mechanism is truly accessible to the farming community it is meant to support.
