Central govt increases moisture limit from 12% to 15% for soyabean procurement

The central government has revised the soybean procurement criteria under the Price Support Scheme (PSS) for the Kharif Marketing Season 2024-25. The permissible moisture content for soybean procurement has been increased from 12% to 15%. This decision was announced by Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan during a campaign in Maharashtra on Thursday.

On Friday, the Department of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare issued a formal order, signed by Deputy Commissioner (MPS) Binod Giri, approving this change. The order clarified that while soybeans with up to 15% moisture will be procured, the central government will compensate farmers only for produce with up to 12% moisture. Any additional cost or loss incurred from procuring soybeans with higher moisture content will be borne by the respective state governments. This revised criterion is a one-time measure, applicable exclusively for the Kharif Marketing Season 2024-25. 

The central government’s decision to revise the moisture content criteria for soybean procurement under the Price Support Scheme (PSS) addresses mounting dissatisfaction among farmers, particularly in Maharashtra. Many farmers told Rural Voice that their produce was being rejected at government procurement centers due to high moisture levels, forcing them to sell to private traders at significantly lower prices. Farmers have been receiving between Rs 3,800 and Rs 4,000 per quintal from private traders, compared to the government-fixed Minimum Support Price (MSP) of Rs 4,892 per quintal for the Kharif Marketing Season 2024-25.

To address this discontent and prevent it from affecting the assembly elections in Maharashtra, the central government revised the moisture content criteria. Despite the change, the pace of soyabean procurement remains slow in Maharashtra. Procurement began on 15th October, but only 3,887.93 tonnes of soyabean have been procured by the government so far, against the state’s target of 13.08 lakh tonnes.