Cooperation Minister Reviews Mustard and Gram Procurement Preparations

Additional Procurement Centers to be Opened Based on Registration Numbers

Jaipur : Cooperation Minister (Independent Charge) Gautam Kumar Dak emphasized that the state government is committed to ensuring farmers receive fair prices for their produce. He stated that all procurement preparations for mustard and gram, starting in April, must be conducted in a way that prevents inconvenience to farmers and ensures a smooth experience at procurement centers.

On Wednesday, the minister reviewed procurement preparations via video conference (VC) from Nehru Sahakar Bhavan. He noted that relaxations in handling and transport tenders were introduced to encourage the participation of competent contractors, ensuring farmers face no difficulties in selling their produce. He directed officials to blacklist contractors with repeated complaints and to have alternative arrangements in case of tender failures.

To ensure efficient operations, he mandated that each procurement center be assigned to a single officer, who must remain present at the center during operations.

Adequate Facilities & Additional Procurement Centers

Minister Dak issued instructions to sub-registrars to inspect procurement centers and ensure the availability of tents, shade, water, and other essential facilities. Contractors must also be assessed for adequate resources before procurement begins.

He stressed that middlemen should not interfere in the weighing process at the centers. Given the attractive Minimum Support Prices (MSP) compared to market rates, a high volume of mustard and gram is expected at the centers. Therefore, additional procurement centers should be opened based on registration numbers to accommodate farmers efficiently.

Ensuring Smooth Procurement Operations

The minister instructed officials to hold meetings with cooperative society representatives before March 25 to finalize all arrangements. Sufficient gunny bags (bardana) should be arranged, and quality standards should be displayed on banners at procurement centers. Additionally, a public awareness campaign should be launched to assure farmers of a hassle-free selling process.

April 10 Procurement Launch: Ensuring MSP Benefits for Farmers

Principal Secretary & Registrar of Cooperative Societies, Manju Rajpal, directed officials to complete all necessary preparations by April 10, ensuring that farmers receive full MSP benefits. In case of delays due to an unavailable representative, she suggested appointing an alternate member in the committee. Instead of conducting inspections only after complaints, she instructed regular monitoring of procurement centers.

Procurement Readiness & Assurances

Rajfed Managing Director Tikamchand Bohra provided a detailed update on the procurement preparations and assured that all arrangements would be completed on time. The meeting was attended by Joint Secretary Dinesh Kumar Jangid, along with Rajfed officials, divisional additional registrars, sub-registrars, and regional Rajfed officers, who joined via video conference.