Need of a reliable technique/method to test moisture content of raw cotton at market yard

Adilabad is one of the biggest cotton markets in Telangana. Cotton is the major crop in the district. Cotton price depends on moisture content of the produce at the time of sale. Cotton price is fixed every day for 8% moisture. For every one percent increase in moisture the price of cotton reduces by equivalent percentage. Eg: If the cotton price at 8%=6000/Quintal Cotton price at 9%=5940/Qtl, at 10%=5880/Qtl and so on. In general cotton picking happens in winter months, while the atmospheric moisture itself is on higher side. There used to be lot of contention between farmers and private traders/ginning mill owners on deciding moisture content of particular lot at market yard. At present the moisture content of raw cotton is measured with the help of digital moisture meter which looks similar to the one shown in the image. The probe has to be inserted in to the raw cotton in order to get the moisture reading. It has lot of human interference and every time the values are different depends on, a) Depth at which the probe is inserted b) How compact the cotton is packed c) Seed and lint ratio at the area of measurement and so on., As a standard practice cotton moisture is tested at 4 different places of a lot and the average value is taken for calculating the price. Still many farmers allege malpractices and manipulation. A reliable devise with minimum human interference for measuring moisture content of the raw cotton will help farmers to get right price for their produce. Read less