Last date of procurement of moong crop in Punjab extended till Aug 10

Chandigarh: The Punjab government on Wednesday extended the last date for procurement of summer 'moong' crop at minimum support price till August 10.

Earlier, the last date for procurement of green gram was July 31.

"To facilitate farmers for selling their crop, the state government has decided to extend the procurement season till August 10," Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said in a statement.

The chief minister said that farmers who have not sold their crop till now, can now sell it in the 'mandis' by August 10.

Punjab State Cooperative Supply and Marketing Federation Limited, better known as Markfed, is the nodal agency for the procurement of 'moong' crop.

Mann said so far the state government has purchased 4,807 metric tonnes (MT) of summer moong crop. A payment of Rs 32.23 crore has been released to the farmers for their produce, he said.

Earlier, the chief minister had announced to procure crop at minimum support price of Rs 7,275 per quintal.

In this season, farmers brought around one lakh hectares under moong crop, which is double of the area covered with this crop last year.