Bhopal, July 8 (IANS) The Madhya Pradesh Congress has demanded that the Centre immediately increase the state’s summer moong procurement target, alleging that the existing quota is far below the actual production and would force thousands of farmers to sell their produce below the Minimum Support Price (MSP).

In a letter to Chief Minister Mohan Yadav and Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Tuesday, Pradesh Congress Committee President Jitu Patwari claimed that procurement arrangements had been made for only about 25 per cent of the state’s actual moong production.

“Publicly available information and complaints from farmers suggest that procurement arrangements have been made for only about 25 per cent of the actual production. If this is true, the remaining farmers will be forced to sell their produce below the MSP,” Patwari wrote.

He said that Madhya Pradesh is the country’s largest producer of summer moong and farmers had increased cultivation after being encouraged by the Centre and the state government to boost pulse production.

According to the State Congress President Patwari, farmers invested heavily in irrigation, seeds, fertilisers, electricity and labour, but are now struggling to sell their produce at the support price.

Patwari said protests by farmers in districts, including Harda, reflected growing dissatisfaction over the procurement process.

He also alleged that farmers were facing several problems, including a low procurement target, shortage of procurement centres, irregularities in registration and slot allocation, delays in quality testing and lack of transparency in payments.

“When the government encouraged farmers to increase production, why is it now unwilling to procure their entire crop? This question raised by farmers is completely justified,” Patwari said.

The Congress demanded that the Centre revise Madhya Pradesh’s procurement target in line with actual production and ensure that every registered farmer gets an opportunity to sell the entire crop at the MSP.

The Congress also sought an increase in the number and capacity of procurement centres, early resolution of registration and slot-booking issues, timely payment to farmers and deployment of senior officials to districts where farmers are protesting.

Calling it an issue linked to the credibility of the state government’s farm policy, Patwari said, “This is not just about one crop. If farmers do not receive a fair price for their produce, they will lose interest in pulse cultivation, which will directly affect the country’s food and pulse security.”

He urged both the Centre and the state government to treat the matter as an issue concerning farmers’ livelihoods and take immediate steps to prevent losses to moong growers.

–IANS

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