A decision has been taken toincrease the speed of cotton procurement at centres across Maharashtra, state Home Minister Anil Deshmukh said on Thursday.According to an official statement, Deshmukh said that cotton from 100 vehicles will be purchased daily and not from 20 to 25 vehicles as earlier.The minister made the comment after a review meeting of the agriculture department. The meeting was chaired by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and also attended by his deputy Ajit Pawar.Deshmukh said cotton procurement was stopped in view of the lockdown. It was resumed on the condition of adhering to norms regarding social distancing.The speed of procurement, however, was slow with cotton from only 20 to 25 vehicles was being purchased (per day)."Cotton growers still have a lot of cotton with them. The need for purchasing the cotton before the monsoon sets in was discussed in the meeting."Some ministers said cotton from only 20 to 25 vehicles was being purchased daily. Now cotton from 100 vehicles will be procured everyday at every centre," the statement quoted Deshmukh as saying.The chief minister and deputy chief minister have warned of strict action against graders who fail to ensure the purchase of cotton on this scale, Deshmukh said.Thackeray and Pawar also ordered registration of offences against those selling uncertified cotton seeds in the state, the home minister added.
