New Delhi, Jan 23 (IANS) Union Minister for Food, Public Distribution and Consumer Affairs Pralhad Joshi on Friday said the Centre has approved procurement of 1 lakh metric tonnes of rabi chickpea (chana) from Karnataka at the Minimum Support Price (MSP).

In a statement, Joshi said directions have been issued to procure 1,01,340 metric tonnes (MT) of rabi-season chickpea at Rs 5,875 per quintal under the MSP scheme.

He said that at a time of distress, the Central government, which has consistently stood by the farmers of Karnataka, has now extended support to the state’s chickpea growers as well.

Acting on requests made through letters, the Centre has approved procurement of 1 lakh metric tonnes of chickpea from Karnataka at the MSP, Joshi said.

Under the MSP scheme, the Central government has granted permission to procure a total of 1,01,340 metric tonnes of rabi chickpea at Rs 5,875 per quintal. Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan conveyed this decision in a letter addressed to Joshi, the statement said.

Joshi said he had drawn attention to the issue and highlighted that chickpea is one of Karnataka’s major pulse crops, cultivated over approximately 9.24 lakh hectares. However, due to prevailing market prices being significantly lower than MSP, chickpea farmers are facing distress.

In view of this, Joshi had written to Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, urging immediate intervention through procurement at the support price, the statement said.

The current market price of chickpea is much lower than the MSP of Rs 5,875 per quintal announced for the Rabi Marketing Season (RMS) 2026-27. There is also apprehension that prices may fall further in the coming days. Joshi had therefore emphasised the need to prioritise implementation of the Price Support Scheme (PSS) for chickpea in Karnataka.

Responding to Joshi’s appeal, the Union Agriculture Minister, the statement said, approved procurement of more than 1 lakh metric tonnes of chickpea at the support price through the state government.

Joshi urged the state government to immediately establish district-wise procurement centres and initiate the process of purchasing chickpea from farmers at the support price.

He expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan for approving procurement of chickpea at MSP to support Karnataka’s farmers.

–IANS

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