New Delhi, Aug. 29 -- The Bharatiya Kisan Sangh (BKS) has urged the Union government to withdraw its decision to extend the exemption on cotton import duty till December 31, warning that the move could harm domestic farmers and push India towards import dependency. The appeal was made in a letter addressed to Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.

According to the letter, the BKS stated that India's cotton production stands at around 320 lakh bales, while domestic demand is approximately 391 lakh bales. A standard bale of cotton weighs approximately 170 kilograms (kg) in India.

Mills estimate that around 60-70 lakh bales are usually imported every year, which accounts for nearly 12 per cent of the country's total cotton use.

The farmers'...