Import Duty cut on Cotton will fuel agrarian crisis in Maharashtra-Kishore Tiwari

Import Duty cut on Cotton will fuel agrarian crisis in Maharashtra-Kishore Tiwari

Dated-29th August 2025

The Indian government has extended the deadline for waiving import duty on cotton till December 31. This will have a serious negative impact on 9 million cotton farmers, as this will result in a sharp decline in the domestic market price of cotton, which will cause huge financial losses to farmers as they will have to bear a loss of up to Rs2,000 per quintal. Import Duty cut on cotton  will fuel agrarian crisis in Maharashtra, said Kishor Tiwari, former chairman of the Maharashtra government's Farmers' Mission, who has been raising the issue of suicides of cotton farmers at the global level for the past four decades .

In the last 20 years, over 30,500 farmers committed suicides in the cotton growing belt of Western Vidarbha and a record 1,630 farmers have committed suicide till 15th august this year due to continuous crop failure, increase in cultivation costs, decline in income and distress sale of cotton below MSP(Minimum Support Price) This year crop loan disbursement  is 40% below the total target set by SLBC resulting more than 9 million cotton farmers have been forced to take crop loan from private credit institutions, microfinance companies and untheorized moneylenders  & finance companies are charging innocent debt trap cotton farmers more then 24 to 36 percent interest. GOI decision to allow cotton without import duty will fuel on going agrarian crisis of cotton growing region of Maharashtra, Kishore Tiwari has alleged.

The waiver of import duty on cotton has had a serious negative impact on Indian cotton farmers, as it has led to a sharp decline in the domestic market price of cotton, which has caused huge financial losses to the farmers and they have lost up to Rs 2,000 per quintal.

The Political Leader's silence on this Serious Issue is Unfortunate

For these cotton farmers, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, when he was in the opposition party ,used to raise  a storm over cotton farmer suicides, as well as Nitin Gadkari, who has been giving farmers a new perspective on agriculture for the past 25 years, both are silent despite knowing that this decision of the GOI is a "Death Warrant" for Maharashtra's 9 million cotton farmers. central argument that Trump's 50% tariff has thrown Indian textiles out of competition is nonsense as this will reduce the domestic demand for cotton yarn,said Kishor Tiwari.

Compensation of Rs 10,000 per Acre to 9 Million  farmers and CCI purchase @MSP is only solution to avoid Farmers Genocide 

The Centre's decision to waive import duty on cotton has caused huge financial loss to the farmers of Maharashtra and they will have to bear a loss of up to Rs 2,000 per quintal. To reduce this financial loss, compensation of Rs 10,000 per acre should be given to all 9 million farmers without any terms and conditions and since the moisture content of cotton is up to 20 percent by March, CCI should purchase  all cotton at MSP by starting all  all procurement centers from October 1. This is the only way to save the lives of farmers Kishore Tiwari said