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

pd/dan