Madhya Pradesh government to procure 60% of green gram from farmers after protests

The Madhya Pradesh government has announced it will procure 60 percent of green gram from eligible farmers, significantly increasing the limit from the previous 25 percent. State agriculture minister Aidal Singh Kansana stated the decision was made after a meeting with representatives from 16 farmer organizations.

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In districts like Narmadapuram, Sehore and Harda, the yield is about three quintals per acre. This decision will be effective immediately, and our effort will be to ensure maximum farmers get the benefit.

The move comes after three days of protests by farmers demanding the complete procurement of green gram and the abolition of the e-token system for fertilizer distribution. Farmers had been seeking procurement of 5 to 6 quintals per acre at Minimum Support Price, contrasting with the current limit of 1.2 quintals.

In response to the protests, Chief Minister Mohan Yadav formed a four-member committee to negotiate with the farmers. The minister also announced an extension of the slot booking and procurement period by 10 days. Furthermore, a high-level committee will examine issues with the e-token system and propose improvements.

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Farmers were demanding 100% procurement of green gram but MP government after a protest of months decided to procure 60% i.e., when union agriculture minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan exposed that state government can purchase to any extent.

Until these recommendations are implemented, the distribution of fertilizer through the e-token system has been suspended immediately. The farmers had previously blocked traffic on the Hoshangabad highway near Bhopal, impacting a large number of residents and leading to school holidays in affected areas.

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The Centre is already purchasing 87% of to