The government continues to procure Kharif crops at MSP in Kharif Marketing Season 2020-21. Government procures 297.51 LMTs of paddy till 21st November 2020.
17.73 % Increase in Procurement of Paddy
Data output from the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare revealed the purchase of 297.51 LMTs of paddy up to 21.11.2020 as against last year’s 252.69 LMT. This marks an increase of 17.73 % over the previous year. Out of the total quantity, Punjab alone has contributed 201.73 LMT, which is 67.80 % of total procurement. The government is still procuring paddy from States & Union Territories of Punjab, Haryana, UP, Telangana, Uttarakhand, TN, Chandigarh, Jammu & Kashmir, Kerala, Gujarat, AP, Odisha, and Maharashtra. Around 26.15 Lac farmers have sold their Kharif crops to the government at an MSP value of Rs. 56168.95 Crore.
Procurement of Pulses, Oilseeds, Copra, and Cotton
The government-sanctioned the procurement of copra from Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala. The approval to other states would be granted on receipt of proposals for the procurement of Pulses, Oilseeds under PSS. This will facilitate the procurement of FAQ (Fair Average Quality) grade of these crops at MSP directly from the registered farmers in case the market rate falls below the MSP notified for the current year. Further, it approved the procurement of 45.10 LMT of Pulses and Oilseeds of Kharif crops through Nodal agencies from several states under the Price Support Scheme (PSS).
The State nominated procuring agencies have procured 67045.66 MT of Moong, Urad, Groundnut Pods, and Soyabean. This is 1195.61 MT more than last years purchase of 65850.05 MT, an increase of 1.82% for pulses and oilseeds. The quantity has been purchased at an MSP value of Rs.362.43 crores, benefitting 38892 farmers in Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Haryana, and Rajasthan. Similarly, procurement of 5089 MT of copra at an MSP value of Rs.52.40 crore has benefited 3961 farmers in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu up to 21 November. Also, the procurement of 2102116 cotton bales valuing Rs.6440.28 Crore has helped 419634 farmers.
To conclude, the ministry asserted that the government is carrying out procurement operations smoothly.