Highest 13.10 lakhs Farmers Benefit from Wheat Procurement at MSP in Madhya Pradesh

Madhya Pradesh has secured top position in the country in terms of the number of farmers benefiting from wheat procurement at the Minimum Support Price (MSP), with wheat procured from more than 13.10 lakh farmers so far. The state has thus emerged as the largest beneficiary state for farmers under MSP-based wheat procurement. Madhya Pradesh has procured nearly 100 lakh metric tonnes of wheat so far, placing it second in the country after Punjab. Wheat procurement is still continuing. Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Protection Minister Shri Govind Singh Rajput informed this saying that the State Government is continuously working in the interest of farmers. He informed that, excluding the Covid-19 period, this year has recorded the highest wheat procurement at MSP in the last 10 years.

Chief Minister Continuously Monitoring Procurement Process

Minister Shri Rajput said that due to the efforts of Chief Minister Dr. Mohan Yadav, the Central Government increased Madhya Pradesh’s wheat procurement target from 78 lakh metric tonnes to 100 lakh metric tonnes. Chief Minister Dr. Yadav has been continuously monitoring wheat procurement activities across the state. He personally conducted surprise inspections at procurement centres to review weighing arrangements, availability of gunny bags, and essential facilities for farmers. He also interacted with farmers to gather feedback regarding procurement and payment processes. Keeping farmers’ interests in mind, the Chief Minister extended the wheat procurement period from May 23 to May 28 for those farmers who had already booked procurement slots.

More than ₹20,680 Cr Paid to Farmers

An amount exceeding ₹20,680.83 crore has already been paid to farmers for the procured wheat. To improve arrangements at procurement centres, the number of weighing machines at each centre has been increased from four to six, and districts have been authorised to increase it further if required. For the convenience of farmers, the time for generating weighing slips has been extended from 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m., while the time limit for issuing payment bills has been extended till midnight. Wheat procurement is being carried out six days a week. Facilities such as drinking water, shaded seating, and other public amenities have been provided at procurement centres for farmers. Wheat is being procured from farmers at ₹2,625 per quintal, including the MSP of ₹2,585 per quintal and a state bonus of ₹40 per quintal. Adequate storage arrangements have also been made for the procured wheat.

To ensure timely weighing of farmers’ produce, procurement centres have been adequately equipped with gunny bags, weighing machines, labourers, stitching machines, computers, quality testing equipment, and cleaning tools such as fans and sieves.