Data shared by the Agriculture Ministry in Parliament on Tuesday shows that the total procurement of wheat in the country has been steadily increasing, with the top five wheat producing states accounting for around 98% of the total procurement in the country in 2021-22.
Madhya Pradesh stood second with a purchase of 128 lakh metric tonnes, followed by Haryana (85 lakh metric tonnes), Uttar Pradesh (56 lakh metric tonnes) and Rajasthan (23 lakh metric tonnes). Barring Madhya Pradesh, all the four states have registered an increase in wheat procurement in 2021-22 as compared to the previous year. On the other hand, Punjab and Haryana occupy the top two positions in terms of paddy procurement during the ongoing Kharif marketing season on December 5.
Procurement at MSP in these states was done by central nodal agencies like Nafed and Food Corporation of India (FCI) keeping in view the production, marketable surplus, convenience of farmers and availability of logistics/infrastructure including storage and transportation.
Although the Center announces every year the MSP—assured minimum price at which food grains are procured by government agencies for the central pool—for 23 crops, procurement is mainly done for other foodgrains such as paddy, wheat and cotton, such as pulses and restricted to coarse cereals. Hardly getting attention. As a result, farmers mainly focus on these three MSP-supported crops and sugarcane, which is procured by sugar mills at a government-determined fair and remunerative price (FRP), leaving most farmers in most states. . At the mercy of private traders who buy other crops at prices much below market prices most of the time.
Data on the number of farmers who benefited from procurement at MSP during 2020-21 shows that 1.31 crore paddy growers benefited the highest during the year, followed by 43 lakh wheat growers and 19 lakh cotton growers. In comparison to these three crops, only 4 lakh farmers producing gram were able to sell their produce at MSP. The number of beneficiaries producing coarse cereals such as jowar, bajra, maize and ragi was much smaller than the most popular ones, including paddy and wheat.
This discrepancy is expected to be addressed by the government, which will soon set up a committee, announced recently by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, when farmers’ unions, mainly from Punjab and Haryana, will be legally mandated to procure all 23 crops. Seeking guarantee. Minimum Support Price
Addressing the nation on his government’s decision to repeal agricultural laws on November 19, Modi had said, “Decisions on matters like zero budget farming i.e. promotion of natural farming, scientifically changing cropping patterns A committee will be constituted to take up the changing requirements of the country and make MSP more effective and transparent.
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