Bhopal News: Small Farmers First; MP Sets Wheat Procurement Priority

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): The state government has decided to prioritise procurement of wheat from small farmers, followed by middle and large farmers.

The decision was taken at a meeting of a group of ministers and farmer representatives held at the CM House on Sunday, chaired by Chief Minister Mohan Yadav.

Yadav said there is no shortage of gunny bags and the government is in constant touch with supplying agencies, the Central Government and the Jute Commissioner to ensure smooth procurement. He said wheat will be procured at the minimum support price as scheduled, and all registered farmers will be able to sell their produce.

Procurement for farmers who have booked slots will be carried out in phases. He directed officials to ensure that farmers do not face any difficulty in selling their wheat.

The Chief Minister instructed officials to set up a state-level control room along with control rooms at agriculture produce mandis for effective monitoring. He also directed that weighing centres be inspected before April 10 to avoid confusion among farmers.

Officials have been asked to ensure drinking water, seating and shade arrangements at procurement centres. He said there should be no long queues of tractor-trolleys and payments to farmers should be made promptly.

Additional Chief Secretary, Food and Civil Supplies, Rashmi Arun Shami said wheat procurement will begin from April 10 in Bhopal, Indore, Ujjain and Narmadapuram divisions, and from April 15 in other divisions.

She said more than 19 lakh farmers have registered for procurement and 3,627 centres have been set up across the state. The minimum support price has been fixed at ?2,625, with an additional bonus of ?40. The state estimates procurement of around 78 lakh metric tonnes of wheat.