Chandigarh, Sep 30 : Punjab Wednesday asked the central government to announce minimum support price for cotton immediately as the marketing season of the produce will start shortly.

Chief minister Parkash Singh Badal has sent a letter in this regard to union Textiles Minister Dayanidhi Maran, a state government spokesperson said here.

"In the letter Badal has appealed to the union minister to direct the Cotton Corporation of India (CCI) to start procurement operations immediately to enable the farmers to get appropriate MSP for their produce," said the official.

Punjab produces about 11 percent of the total cotton produced in the country.

"The marketing season for cotton normally starts from Oct 1. The MSP for different grades of cotton is fixed by the textile commissioner in the ministry of textiles, but it has not been notified so far," Badal said in the letter.

"Cotton crop has started arriving in the market and in the absence of MSP, farmers are forced to sell it at much lower prices," he added.(IANS)