With ginners not showing any sign of withdrawing agitation till their demands are met, cotton growers in Haryana are forced to either offload their crop in neighbouring markets of Punjab or store it at their homes.

Though cotton arrival has not picked up because of the recent downpour, farmers are bringing their crop from Dabwali and Tohana in Haryana to mandis of Sardulgarh, Ratia, Mansa and Bareta in Punjab to sell their crop, traders said.

"Almost 100 quintals of crop arrived in Dabwali and Tohana (in Haryana) which was sold in Punjab by farmers," traders informed.

With the deadlock between cotton ginners and state authorities continuing, some cotton growers are stocking up their crop at their homes and eagerly waiting for ginners' strike to end.

"Our cotton crop is lying at home as ginners are not buying crop in mandis of Haryana," a Sirsa-based cotton grower Girdhari said.

Even agents are also asking farmers not bring their crop to mandis in the absence of any buyer.

Cotton growers have even decided to hold rally in Sirsa today to urge district authorities to resolve the issue at the earliest.

"If the strike of cotton ginners do not come to an end soon, then it will be the farmers who will suffer the most," a farmer said.

Haryana cotton ginners are not buying crop from farmers in a protest against the high rate of market fee and rural development fund.

"We will continue to be on strike till our demands are met," Haryana Cotton Ginners Association president, Sushil Mittal said today.

About 140 cotton ginners are seeking reduction in market fee and rural development fund from 4 per cent to 1 per cent in order to bring charges on par with the rates prevailing in neighbouring states. .

Punjab and Rajasthan levy 2 per cent and 1.60 per cent as market fee and rural development fund on cotton, respectively.

"Farmers will get more money for selling their cotton in Haryana if the charges are reduced," he stressed.

Cotton ginners are also demanding rationalisation of VAT on cotton by ensuring refund of excess tax on inter state sale in a time bound manner.

Despite writing to Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, demanding reduction in market fee and rural development fund on cotton, cotton ginners said state authorities have not done anything to address their concerns.

Area under fibre in Haryana in Kharif season stood at 5.80 lakh hectares, which is up by 88,000 hectares over last season of area. The state is anticipating crop output of 25 lakh bales.