Paddy buying for the 2020-21 Kharif marketing season gains momentum as government procures a vast amount of paddy from farmers. Union Food Ministry confirms the purchase of 37.92 lakh tonnes of paddy till 10th of October.
37.92 lakh Tonnes of Paddy Bought at MSP Within Two of Starting of Procurement
Union Food Ministry stated that FCI and other government agencies had bought around 37.92 lakh tonne of Kharif paddy worth Rs 7,159.39 crore at MSP from 3.22 lakh farmers till 10th October. The procurement of paddy commenced on 26th September in Haryana and Punjab due to early sowing. While the government has a fixed price of A-grade paddy at Rs 1,888 per quintal, it is buying common grade at Rs 1,868 per quintal.
Procurement of Other Crops
Around 5,252 farmers have sold 24,863 bales of cotton at MSP of Rs 7,545 lakh to state-run Cotton Corporation of India (CCI) till 10th October. Also, several state-level nodal agencies are carrying out the task of procuring pulses and oilseeds at MSP under the Price Support Scheme (PSS).
Data released by the government reveals that 459.60 tonnes of moong at MSP value of Rs 3.33 crore has been purchased from 326 farmers in Haryana and Tamil Nadu. Likewise, 3,961 farmers in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu have sold 5,089 tonnes of copra at the MSP value of Rs 52.40 crore. The rates of copra and urad are holding at or above MSP. The government implements PSS for procurement of oilseeds, pulses, and cotton through NAFED when prices fall below MSP.
MSP is Here to Stay- Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare
The Central government approved the procurement of 30.70 lakh tonnes of Kharif pulses and oilseeds for the Kharif marketing season 2020. Also, The Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare used the hashtag ‘MSP hai aur rahega’, that is, MSP is here to stay while tweeting from its official handle. This has come amid the protests by opposition and farmers against recently enacted farm laws.
In all, the government is continuing procurement at MSP and releasing data regularly to eliminate the fear of scrapping out MSP among farmers.