Centre to procure up to 23,250 tonne of green gram from K'taka at MSP

The Centre will procure up to 23,250 tonne of green gram from Karnataka at minimum support price under the Price Support Scheme (PSS) to protect farmers from falling prices, a senior Agriculture Ministry official said.

Pulses growers in the state are in distress as green gram prices have fallen below the minimum support price (MSP) of Rs 6,975 per quintal fixed for the 2018-19 crop year (July-June).

"The Department of Agriculture has approved the PSS for procurement of maximum quantity of 23,250 tonne green gram for the kharif 2018 season in Karnataka," the official said.

Central nodal agencies FCI, Nafed, NCCF and SFAC will undertake the procurement along with state-level agencies for a period of 90 days from the day of approval, he said.

The agencies will purchase only the fair average quality (FAQ) of green gram and make payment to the state-level agencies after receiving the warehouse receipts within 15 days from the closure of the procurement, the official said.

Also, the state should provide revolving fund for at least 15 days and ensure the payment is made strictly to Aadhaar-linked account of farmers from whom procurements are made within three days of purchase, he added.

With regard to disposal of pulses, the official said the central agencies should dispose of green gram within 15 days from last day of purchase and ensure its disposal in six months from the closure of the procurement operation.

The agriculture ministry implements PSS when market prices fall below the MSP.