Thousands of farmers from Saurashtra gathered here on Friday to protest against the Centre’s cotton export policy. The government has fixed a cap of 55 lakh bales for export in 2010-11, even as a record yield of cotton is expected this year.

During the convention organised Maha Gujarat Agri Cotton Produce Company (MGACPC) at Shahshri Maidan, the farmers demanded that the export limit should be increased to one crore bales. They alleged that the policy has been framed to benefit certain textile mills.

“This year, the total cotton yield is expected to touch the record mark of 3.5 crore bales, of which, 1.3 to 1.5 crore bales will be produced in Gujarat alone. In this scenario, exporting 55 lakh bales will lead to fall in cotton prices in the domestic market. While textile mills will get cotton at cheaper rates, the farmers will be at the receiving end,” said MGACPC president Praful Senjalia.

Laxman Patolia, secretary of the Bhartiya Kishan Sangh, said that the current policy is anti-farmers.

He added that cotton yield in neighbouring countries, like China and Pakistan, would be low this year due to heavy rains there, so this is the time when the farmers here can earn more through export. He went on to say that the farmers would intensify their agitation if their demand was not met.

Early this year, the Centre had imposed duty of Rs 2,500 per bale on export and this was followed by a complete ban on export.

Later, the government made licence mandatory for cotton export.