Everywhere in the nation, cotton gins and mills are keeping a close eye on the precipitation since it will affect how much the raw material will cost in the following days. The majority of processors have complained that there aren’t enough raw materials available, which has a negative impact on their operations and enterprises.

According to estimates made by the Cotton Association of India (CAI), there are 25 lakh bales of cotton in store with stockists, traders, and other parties as of August 12. One bale contains 170 kg of ginned pressed cotton. The mills have almost 28 lakh bales. Many millers assert that as a result of the poor availability, 5–10% of gin and press owners are only operating at their bare minimum.

Some farmers are holding off on selling their stock in the hopes of receiving higher prices, according to the owner of a gin in Maharashtra’s Beed district. “Kapas (raw seed cotton) had a starting price of around 8,500 per quintal for the 2022–23 season. But since then, there has been a significant price decline, which has caused many farmers to cease selling. He noted that farmers that keep stock are anticipating a new price increase for the coming season.

A quintal of kapas currently costs between Rs 7,100 and Rs 7,500 in Jalgaon and other cities in North Maharashtra. When asked about the state of the crop, Pradeep Kumar Jain, the organization’s founding president, stated that the recent wet season had made sure that the crop was in good shape in many areas. The best news, he continued, is that there have been no reports of severe pest infestation from any area of the nation.

Dall millers have also voiced complaints about a situation that is similar to how the lack of kapas has cast doubt on operations. The accessibility of pulses like tur has become an issue, according to Latur district dal miller and dealer Nitin Kalantari. “The African tournament’s arrival will help to calm things down a little,” he remarked. The price of Chana, which was trading considerably below its minimum support price (MSP) of Rs. 5,230/paddle, has crossed the Rs. 6,000/paddle threshold. Prices of chana decreased due to expectations of a potential production decline in tur and other kharif crops.

The National Cooperative Agriculture Marketing Federation (NAFED), which has purchased almost 27 lakh tonnes of chana, is the largest chana stockist. The majority of traders and millers purchase from NAFED, according to an Akola trader.