Maharashtra govt seeks to export 17.5 lakh bales of cotton

With a bumper cotton crop in Maharashtra, chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh today asked the centre to allow the state government to export 17.5 lakh bales as sanctioned by Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) in December.

Deshmukh and state marketing minister Harshvardhan Patil met Union textiles minister Shankersinh Vaghela here and urged him to allow Maharashtra Cotton Federation (MCF) to export 17.5 lakh bales of cotton and extend centre's subsidy on transportation costs of bringing the crop from the spot to the ports (cost neutralisation benefits) to the the state corporation.

The chief minister later told reporters that Vaghela had assured him that he will put the proposal before the cabinet committee on economic affairs.

He said CCEA in December had given a nod to export 20 lakh bales of cotton through Cotton Corporation of India (CCI) and the MCF.

In a letter to Vaghela, Patil said CCI has exported 1.5 lakh bales and once cost neutralisation benefits are extended to it the federation would be able to export 17.5 lakh bales.

Deshmukh also met Union power minister P M Sayeed and asked him to provide additional power to the state where load shedding has become routine.