Guwahati: Farmers across India will now be able to register and sell their tur dal produce at a minimum support price (MSP) or market price. A portal for this platform was inaugurated by Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday.
The Cooperative National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd (NAFED) and the National Cooperative Consumers' Federation of India Limited (NCCF) are spearheading the procurement of pulses on behalf of the government.
Farmers can register on the portal before the sowing season, enabling them to sell their tur dal to NAFED and NCCF at MSP or in the open market. In cases where the market price surpasses the MSP, an average rate will be determined through a specified formula.
Shah, during the inauguration, emphasized the significance of the initiative, stating that it would contribute to achieving "self-reliance in pulses production." Setting a target, Shah said, "By December 2027, the country will become self-reliant in pulses. We will not import even one kilo of pulses from January 2028."
The Union Minister also urged Primary Agriculture Credit Societies (PACS), Farmer Producers Organisations (FPOs), and progressive farmers to disseminate information about the portal and encourage their peers to leverage this facility.
Looking ahead, Minister Shah announced plans to introduce a similar facility for urad and masoor farmers, as well as maize farmers.
"The state-wise procurement would take time to be fully implemented; mustard seed procurement, however, is scheduled to commence from March onwards", an official from NAFED, Assam told Business North East.
The NAFED official highlighting the positive impact of online procurement told Business North East that replacing the traditional manual processes would "significantly benefit farmers. "
As of the 2023-24 Kharif Marketing Season (KMS), nodal agencies, including Assam Food and Civil Supplies Corporation Limited (AFCSCL), Assam State Agricultural Marketing Board (ASAMB), Food Corporation of India (FCI) and NAFED, have procured 39,531.66 metric tonnes of paddy, involving 5,643 registered farmers. NAFED alone has procured 4,208.33 metric tonnes of paddy, engaging over 500 farmers in the same period.
Shah also addressed the notable increase in pulse production over the last decade, attributing the growth to a more than two-fold rise in the minimum support price. Despite this progress, the domestic production of pulses still falls short of consumption, necessitating imports.
"New procurement initiatives would further bridge this gap and lead to greater self-sufficiency in the coming years", stated the official from NAFED, Assam.
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