In the ongoing Kharif Marketing Season (KMS) 2020-21, Government of India continues to procure Kharif 2020-21 crops at minimum support price (MSP) from farmers as per its existing MSP schemes, as was done in previous seasons.
Paddy procurement for Kharif 2020-21 has now crossed 20 million metric tonnes mark with bumper procurement of 204.59 lakh metric tonnes (LMT) paddy in the procuring states and union territories of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Tamil Nadu, Chandigarh, Jammu & Kashmir, Kerala and Gujarat upto 31.10.2020 against the last year corresponding purchase of 168.87 LMT showing an increase of 21.16 percent over last year. Out of the total purchase of 204.59 LMT, Punjab alone has contributed 142.81 LMT which is 69.80 percent of total procurement.
About 17.23 lakh farmers have contributed to ongoing KMS procurement operations with receiving MSP value of Rs. 38,627.46 crore.
Further, based on the proposal from the states, approval was accorded for procurement of 45.10 LMT of pulses and oilseeds of Kharif Marketing Season 2020 for the states of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Telangana, Gujarat, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Odisha, Rajasthan and Andhra Pradesh under Price Support Scheme (PSS). Further, sanction for procurement of 1.23 LMT of copra (the perennial crop) for the states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala was also given.
Upto 31.10.2020, the Government through its nodal agencies has procured 10,293.61 MT of moong, urad, groundnut pods and soyabean having MSP value of Rs. 57.78 crore from 6,102 farmers in Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Haryana. Similarly, 5,089 MT of copra (the perennial crop) having MSP value of Rs. 52.40 crore has been procured from 3,961 farmers in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. In respect of copra and urad, rates are ruling above MSP in most of the major producing states.
Procurement operations of seed cotton (Kapas) under MSP are going on in the states of Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Telangana. Till 31.10.2020 a quantity of 633,719 cotton bales valuing Rs.184,563 lakh has been procured from 120,437 farmers.