In the wheat procurement campaign, more quantity of wheat has been purchased on support price from the farmers in just 28 days, than the target. The procurement work usually lasts for 50 days every year but due to corona infection wheat procurement was started late this year. Registration was made by farmers for procurement of wheat on support price.
Concrete arrangements were made to procure wheat by sending them SMS. In the Rabi marketing year 2020-21, 105.32 lakh metric tonnes of wheat has been procured in 28 days against the target of 100 lakh metric tonnes of wheat procurement on support price.
In the history of Madhya Pradesh for the first time such record of wheat procurement is made, more over the task was more challenging this year due to the transition of Covid-19.
Wheat procurement work is still going on in the State, even after the completion of the target, further arrangements are being made to procure wheat from all farmers. Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said that all the wheat of every registered farmers will be purchased at the support price. No farmer needs to be worried. Whatever is necessary will be arranged.
In the year 2012-13, there was a record of purchasing the highest quantity of 84.90 lakh metric tonnes of wheat from 10.27 lakh farmers in Madhya Pradesh, which has been broken this year. So far, 105.32 lakh metric tonnes have been procured from 14.16 lakh farmers.
A record has also been made to procure about 5 lakh metric tonnes of wheat in a day. Earlier, such quantity of wheat was never purchased in a day. This year's record is also important in the sense that in last years, the procurement work was done in 50 days. In the current year, more wheat has been procured than the target in 28 days.
The State Government made adequate arrangements for gunny bags during the lockdown period. Special attention has been paid to safe storage of procured wheat. So far 87.20 lakh metric tonnes have been transported and stored safely.
Despite the stock already available for a total of 87 lakh metric tonnes of last year including 45 lakh metric tonnes of wheat, 16 lakh metric tonnes of gram, 26 lakh metric tonnes of rice, the storage of procured wheat has been ensured this year. For this, a new cape of 10 lakh metric ton capacity has been made.
Purchases at the support price have also been paid to the farmers. About 12 thousand crores have been paid to the farmers.
In the case of wheat procurement, Madhya Pradesh is second in the country after Punjab.
