Gujarat: Procurement of groundnut and other agri produce at MSP to begin on Nov 9

Ahmedabad, Nov 5 (PTI) The procurement of groundnut, moong, urad, and soybean at the Minimum Support Price (MSP) in Gujarat will begin from Sunday, the state government said.

This initiative aims to ensure farmers receive fair and remunerative prices for their produce and financial security, said state Agriculture Minister Jitu Vaghani on Wednesday.

He stated that the Centre has decided to significantly increase the MSP this year to protect farmers from economic losses. Compared to the last year, the MSPs of groundnut, urad, and soybean have been hiked per quintal by Rs 480, Rs 400, and Rs 436, respectively.

The Union government had announced the MSPs for Kharif crops even before the sowing season began. Accordingly, the MSP for groundnut is Rs 7,263 per quintal, moong Rs 8,768 per quintal, urad Rs 7,800 per quintal, and soybean Rs 5,328 per quintal.

"Under the Pradhan Mantri Annadata Aay Sanrakshan Abhiyan (PM-AASHA), groundnut, soybean, urad, and moong worth more than Rs 15,000 crore will be procured from farmers in Gujarat," Vaghani said, adding that the move will ensure agriculturists won't have to sell at low market prices.

Considering the substantial groundnut production in Gujarat this year, the government has taken a liberal decision to procure up to 5,000 kg of groundnut from each farmer as per the prescribed norms.

For the procurement of Kharif crops at MSP in Gujarat, more than 300 centres have been designated, considering the total sown area and production of groundnut, moong, urad, and soybean.

The number of these centres will be increased if required, the minister added. PTI PJT PD NSK