By IANS,
Hyderabad : Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy has urged the central government to lift the ban on cotton exports.
In a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, chairperson of group of ministers and Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee and Commerce Minister Anand Sharma, he urged that the state be permitted to export cotton till May 31.
According to a statement from the chief minister’s office, Reddy said the present market rate for cotton was around Rs.3,600 per quintal and if export was not permitted the rate was likely to come down which would affect the farmers badly.
State Agriculture Minister Kanna Lakshminarayana earlier told the assembly that the state would send a letter to the central government, seeking the lifting of the ban.
The issue rocked the house with the Telugu Desam Party and other opposition parties demanding the state government to intervene in the matter and come to the rescue of farmers.
Meanwhile, stocks of cotton have piled up in various market yards across the state due to the ban.
The Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) issued a notification March 5 to put a ban on cotton export with immediate effect.