Govt procures 29.24 lakh tonnes of wheat so far

New Delhi,  The government has so far procured 29.24 lakh tonnes of wheat from farmers at minimum support price (MSP), valued at Rs 5,774 crore, amid an ongoing protest by farmers at the borders of the national capital.

Procurement of wheat has recently commenced in Rabi Marketing Season (RMS) 2021-22 in Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttrakhand, Chandigarh, Delhi and Gujarat at MSP, as was done in previous seasons, an official statement said.

“Till April 11, a quantity of 29.24 lakh tonnes of wheat has been procured benefitting 3,30,046 farmers with MSP value of Rs. 5774.20 crore,” it added.

Meanwhile, paddy procurement in the ongoing season Kharif Marketing Season (KMS) 2020-21 (October -September) is continuing smoothly.

The government has procured 702.05 lakh tonnes of paddy (including 700.53 lakh tonnes Kharif crop and 1.52 lakh tonnes Rabi crop) till April 11 as against 623.47 lakh tonnes in the corresponding period of the previous year.

“About 105.05 Lac farmers have already been benefitted from the ongoing KMS procurement Operations with MSP value of Rs 1,32,548.26 Crore,” the statement said.

Farmers, mainly from Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh, are protesting at Delhi-borders since late November 2020, seeking a repeal of three new farm laws and a statutory guarantee of the MSP. PTI