SISPA's plea to Cotton Corporation of India for cotton warehouses in Tamil Nadu

The South India Spinners Association (SISPA) has urged the Cotton Corporation of India (CCI) to establish cotton warehouses in Tamil Nadu. The state, which consumes 45 per cent of India's cotton production, would benefit significantly from easier access to the raw material. At their annual meeting, SISPA members also called for a reduction in interest rates for textile mills that lift cotton contracted from CCI. They proposed lowering the rate from 15 per cent to 6.5 per cent. Additionally, the association urged the Central government to implement direct transfer of Minimum Support Price (MSP) to cotton farmers who sell their produce to CCI.

To ensure raw material security for the textile industry without affecting farmer livelihoods, SISPA has recommended exempting cotton imports from the 11 per cent duty during the peak cotton-growing season, from April to October.

In recognition of their contributions to the industry, three former presidents of SISPA were honored with Lifetime Achievement Awards. V Soundararajan, Ellen Textiles; K Narayanasamy, Micrro Cotspinn India; and AV Ramaraj, AVR Textiles, were presented with Scrolls of Honor. The newly elected office-bearers for the current year are J Selvan (president), G Venkatesan, N Pradeep, and R Arunkarthik (vice presidents), S Jagadesh Chandran (secretary), and N Vijayakumar (treasurer).