Centre to pilot Bhavantar Scheme for Telangana cotton farmers next month

The Centre is set to launch a pilot of the Bhavantar Bhugtan Yojana, a price support scheme designed to compensate farmers when market prices fall below the minimum support price (MSP). The pilot will target cotton farmers in Telangana's Adilabad district, starting next month, according to sources familiar with the matter.
A committee chaired by agricultural economist and Niti Aayog member Ramesh Chand, with representatives from the industry, farming community, and state governments, recently convened to finalize the pilot’s details. Since most cotton farmers have already sold their crop harvested from October, the scheme will be tested on a limited scale after discussions with Telangana officials. Adilabad was selected for its robust online farmer records, crucial for scheme implementation, sources said. Ganesh Nanote, a cotton farmer from Maharashtra, highlighted that implementing the scheme for cotton would involve significant challenges that need careful examination.
The Bhavantar Bhugtan Yojana was promised for cotton and soybean farmers before Maharashtra’s recent assembly elections, as prices of both crops remained below the MSP throughout the kharif season. The pilot aims to evaluate the scheme’s feasibility before broader adoption.