Punjab starts procurement of moong on MSP for first time
As the summer crop is being procured on an MSP of Rs 7,275 per quintal, the farmers will get Rs 36,000 as an additional income for five quintals, the expected yield per acre in between wheat harvest and paddy cultivation.
For the first time in the history of Punjab, the government has started the procurement of the summer moong crop directly from farmers at a minimum support price (MSP) of Rs 7,275 per quintal. Jagraon Mandi in Ludhiana district leads the state with the arrival of around 58 percent of the total crop so far.
As the summer crop is being procured on an MSP of Rs 7,275 per quintal, the farmers will get Rs 36,000 as an additional income for five quintals, the expected yield per acre in between wheat harvest and paddy cultivation.
A government statement said as an affirmative response to the appeal of Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, the farmers this year sowed the moong crop on around one lakh acres of land as compared to 50,000 acres last year. A yield of 4.75 lakh quintal is expected this year.
According to the spokesperson of the chief minister’s office, Mann had appealed to the farmers: “This step will definitely save the natural resources of the state in terms of precious groundwater besides improving soil health and generating additional income for the farmers. This will further benefit the cultivation of short-duration varieties of paddy which is expected to save 10-20 per cent of underground water.”
Out of total arrival of moong across the state, 790 quintal (58 percent) crop arrived only in Jagraon Mandi followed by Barnala with arrival of 510 quintals. Out of the 790 quintals crop that arrived in Jagraon Mandi, 555 quintals were procured by government and private agencies on MSP or above.
The government has already implemented the DBT (direct benefit transfer) for the crop procured on the MSP and the payment thereof is being directly credited to the bank accounts of the farmers by the procurement agency Markfed.
