Nafed buys 19.47 lakh tonnes of gram

Nafed, the nodal agency of the central government, is aggressively procuring gram. So far in the current Rabi marketing season 2023-24, more than 19.47 lakh tonnes have been procured at Minimum Support Price (MSP). In the last rabi marketing season, about 26 lakh tonnes was procured by Nafed. The central government has fixed the MSP of gram at Rs 5,335 per quintal for the current season. Due to better government procurement, gram farmers are getting better price for their produce. Along with this, it will also prove helpful in controlling the prices of pulses.

Highly placed sources told Rural Voice that 14.5 lakh tonnes of gram is lying with Nafed from last season as well. Due to better procurement in the current season, prices of pulses are expected to remain under control. However, tur (arhar) and urad are definitely causing trouble as their production has come down this year and their import prices have gone up. If the prices of pulses increase in the coming days, the prices will be controlled by intervening in the market through gram.

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According to the latest data of Nafed, 19,47,248.88 tonnes of gram has been procured so far. So far 8,67,965 farmers have been benefited from government procurement done at MSP and Rs 10,388.57 crore has been transferred to their accounts. As far as government procurement of lentils is concerned, till May 12, Nafed has procured 52,168.47 lakh tonnes. Its cost is Rs 313 crore and 30 thousand farmers have benefited from it. This purchase has been done mainly in Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.

Madhya Pradesh ranks first in gram procurement. So far 6,75,193.98 tonnes of gram have been purchased from there. In the matter of lentils too, Madhya Pradesh is on top. Of the total procurement of lentils so far, 49,092.57 tonnes has been done in Madhya Pradesh and the remaining 3,075.90 tonnes in Uttar Pradesh. Maharashtra ranks second in Chana procurement where 6,56,683.24 tonnes has been procured.

The third number is from Gujarat where Nafed has bought 3,14,092.68 tonnes of gram. Data provided by Nafed on its official Twitter handle, shows that Rajasthan is number four where 98,493.47 tonnes of gram has been purchased. Karnataka has procured 79,548 tonnes, Andhra Pradesh 64,503.90 tonnes and Telangana 50,238 tonnes. The worst condition is of Uttar Pradesh. Despite being the sixth largest state in terms of gram production, only 8,495.62 tonnes have been procured here so far.

DIn the last rabi marketing season 2022-23, Nafed had procured 25,92,500 tonnes of gram. The Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare in its second advance estimate for the crop year 2022-23 (July-June) has estimated a production of 136.32 lakh tonnes of gram, which is a record. In the crop year 2021-22, 135.44 lakh tonnes of gram were produced.