After procuring a record eight lakh tonnes of groundnut for over ₹3,500 crore, Gujarat has sought the Central government’s approval to purchase an additional 4 lakh tonnes of the oilseed as prices continue to rule below the minimum support price (MSP) of ₹4,500 per quintal on higher market arrivals.
The Agriculture Ministry has sought details on Gujarat’s preparedness to handle storage of massive volumes of the oilseeds in a scientific manner. Gujarat produced a bumper groundnut crop of 32 lakh tonnes during the 2017-18 kharif season.
In neighbouring Maharashtra, full-scale procurement of tur (pigeonpea) is expected to start from February 1; the process of farmer registration and higher moisture content in harvested pulses has delayed purchases in the State.
NAFED, which has registered over one lakh farmers, is expected to open 150 procurement centres in Maharashtra, where purchases under MSP are targeted at around 4.46 lakh tonnes this year.