Farmers Keep Away From Selling Moong At Centres, Only 7K Tonnes Procured

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): The procurement of moong (green gram) is moving at a snail's pace in the state because of the strict laws.

A fortnight has passed since the procurement began on July 1, but only 7,000 tonnes of moong have so far arrived at various centres across the state.

The government procures moong through Markfed. The central government has given the state the target for procuring 4.55 lakh tonnes of moong.

The state has written to the centre to increase the target to 8.06 lakh tonnes. Agriculture Minister Aidal Singh Kanshana wrote to his counterpart at the centre, Shivraj Singh Chouhan.

But until now, the state government has not been able to meet the target fixed by the centre. The state government showed a little interest in procuring moong, whose MSP is Rs 8,768 a quintal.

The central government has also put a condition that the state can procure only 25% of the total produce.

The state has written to the centre to increase the procurement to 40%, but that will not be enough to fulfil the target for purchasing the total produce.

Because the state has shown a little interest in procurement of the total produce, the farmers have begun to sell the crop for Rs 6,000 a quintal.

The Bharatiya Kisan Sangh and the Congress demanded the government remove the conditions of the procurement.

According to the Managing Director of Markfed, Abhijeet Agarwal, the state procures moong on the terms and conditions fixed by the centre.

The procurement will continue until August 10, he said, adding that the state can purchase 25% of the total produce according to rules which the government follows.