Cotton Corporation of India has extended the bulk discount scheme for another fortnight from Monday to dispose its remaining stocks from the 2024-25 season before the start of new season in October.
CCI is offering a discount of ₹400-600 per candy of 356 kg for bulk buyers in various categories, depending on the quantity purchased till end Sept. CCI holds less than 12 lakh bales of 170 kg each procured from the 2024-25 season at MSP. On Tuesday, CCI sold some 5,800 bales of which 3,200 were picked up by the mills and the rest by the trade.
In the bulk discount scheme that CCI ran from Sept 1-15, the State-run entity sold over over 15 lakh bales. CCI held a stock of 27 lakh bales before the start of this scheme. CCI had procured one crore bales at MSP during the 2024-25 cotton season.
Prices of cotton have come under pressure after the Government removed the import duty on the fibre crop on August 19. CCI had reduced its floor price by ₹2,000 per candy and is offering an additional discount of ₹400 and ₹600 per candy for various category of bulk buyers to make its stocks competitive for the buyers when compared with the imported cotton.
New crop arrivals begin
Arrivals of the new cotton for the 2025-26 season have started in some parts of North India and also in South India. The prices of new cotton, which has high moisture content, are ruling below the MSP levels, trade sources said. The Government has announced an MSP of ₹7,710 per quintal for the medium staple and ₹8,110 per quintal for long staple cotton for the 2025-26 season. As per the Cotton Association of India data, cotton arrivals on Tuesday stood at 13,900 bales.
For the kharif marketing season 2025-26 beginning October, CCI has set up a record 550 procurement centres across major cotton-producing states. CCI will start procurement at MSP from October 1 in Haryana, Punjab and Rajasthan and from October 15 in Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Orissa. Procurement in Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu will start from October 21.
Farmers have planted cotton on about 109.64 lakh hectares (lh) across the country as of September 15, down from 112.48 lh in the same period last year.
Published on September 16, 2025