In September this year, when MB Lal took over as chairman of CCI, the gap between traders and government officials have narrowed considerably. And there has never been clash of interest between the traditional traders and the public sector marketing arm, Lal said.

"We at CCI believe in high moral standards," reiterated Lal, CCI never deals with the customers directly if the customers are brought in by the traders.

Though CCI supplies the baled cotton directly to the customers, the traders get their fair share of brokerage. "We market cotton and the traders are also the marketmen, thus instead of fighting each other the healthy way is to co-exist without cutting at each others throat", he added.

"The CCI has been the best friend of traders", said Suresh Kotak, president, East India Cotton Association (EICA), the largest organisedarm of the private traders.

"We have had excellent relations with the institution for the past decade and it has never tried to overrule the interest of the traders while keeping the interests of the growers in mind as well, he added.