Lucknow: In a bid to remove doubts raging in the minds of agitating farmers on minimum support price (MSP), the Yogi Adityanath Government in Uttar Pradesh has announced to buy ‘unlimited’ wheat from farmers on ‘increased’ MSP till farmers' stock last.
Announcing its new Wheat Procurement Policy, the state government said that it has already increased the MSP by Rs 50, from Rs 1925 per quintal last year to Rs 1975 for 2021-22. Under the new policy, the government has fixed no target for wheat procurement. Instead, it will continue buying wheat on the increased MSP till farmers’ stock last to remove their complaints of not getting MSP.
A government spokesman said that the procurement will start from April 1 and will continue till June 15. The registration has already started from March 1 and so far over 30,000 farmers have registered themselves to sell wheat on MSP at different procurement centres. “Farmers can sell as much wheat as they want on MSP between April 1 and June 15,” said the spokesman.
He claimed that about 6,000 procurement centres will be opened across the state and farmers’ suggestions will also be taken into consideration for setting up these centres. An app is being developed to make available information about procurement centres to farmers.
To keep middlemen out of the procurement process, the government has made registration mandatory for farmers on the portal of the food and civil supplies department. “Those who are already registered, need not apply again,” clarified the Food Commissioner Manish Chauhan.
The revenue department will verify farmers who are willing to sell more than 100 quintals of wheat on MSP to the government. For the first time, entire wheat purchasing will be done through e-Pos machines after taking thumb impressions and providing receipts to farmers to keep middlemen out.
The state government has already begun a training session for employees being engaged in procurement of wheat to make them aware about the new wheat procurement policy and handling e-POS machines, portal and tabulation works. The training will be completed by March 20.
