Bhopal, April 10 (IANS) Madhya Pradesh’s Food and Civil Supply Minister Govind Singh Rajput on Friday said that wheat procurement at the Minimum Support Price has witnessed strong support from farmers.

The Minister shared that the government collected more than 22,521 metric tonnes of wheat crops purchased from 5,220 farmers within the first two days.

The procurement drive began on 9 April in Indore, Ujjain, Bhopal, and Narmadapuram divisions, while the remaining divisions will start from 15 April, which is expected to further increase arrivals.

Minister Govind Singh Rajput said the response from farmers has been encouraging. He informed that a record 19.04 lakh farmers have registered for wheat procurement this year, which is 3.6 lakh more than last year.

“This shows that farmers trust the government system. We are making all efforts to ensure smooth procurement and timely payment at the Minimum Support Price,” Rajput said.

He shared that the state government has set up 3,171 procurement centres across Madhya Pradesh to make the process easy for farmers. A slot booking system has also been introduced to avoid crowding at mandis.

“So far, around 1.48 lakh farmers have booked slots to sell more than 6.74 lakh metric tonnes of wheat,” he added.

Farmers are being paid Rs 2,625 per quintal for wheat, which includes the Minimum Support Price of Rs 2,585 and a state government bonus of Rs 40.

The Minister said proper arrangements have been made for storage and transport. Adequate gunny bags are available, and wheat is being stored safely using jute and other standard packaging.

Rajput said the government is committed to helping farmers and ensuring the entire process remains simple, transparent, and beneficial to them.

Last year, Madhya Pradesh procured about 77 lakh metric tonnes of wheat. This year, the government has set a higher target of 78 lakh metric tonnes despite difficult conditions.

--IANS

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