Amit Shah to launch procurement portal for tur dal growing farmers

Cooperation Minister Amit Shah will on Thursday launch a tur dal procurement portal that will enable farmers to register themselves for selling the commodity and receive payments directly into their bank accounts.

The multi-lingual portal will streamline the entire process for tur dal growers in Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Gujarat, Karnataka and Jharkhand, simplifying the registration, procurement and payment processes.

The portal will be launched at a national symposium on 'self-reliance in pulses' to be held here in the capital.

Currently, the government procures various kinds of pulses including tur dal through agencies such as Nafed and NCCF for maintaining a buffer stock.

"This farmer-centric initiative aims to empower tur dal producers with better prices through procurement, streamlined processes and direct bank transfers by NAFED and NCCF, thereby boosting domestic pulses production and reducing import dependence," an official statement said.

Under this initiative, pulses will be purchased for buffer stock from the farmers registered on the portal and minimum support price (MSP) or market price, whichever is higher, will be paid to the farmers, it said.

According to the cooperation ministry, the process of registration, purchase and payment on the portal will be available on a single medium.

Farmers can register on the portal directly or through Primary Agriculture Credit Societies (PACS) and Farmers Producer Organisation (FPO). The payment to the farmers will be made by NAFED directly into their mapped bank account and no agency will be involved in between, it said.

"The entire process is farmer centric in which farmers themselves can track the activities from registration to payment," the ministry said.

The portal aims to reduce dependence on imports by purchasing 80 per cent of the buffer stock directly from farmers. This will not only secure food production but will also ensure the future food security of the nation, it said.

The portal will connect farmers, NAFED and concerned government departments, streamlining processes for better accessibility, it added.