Chennai: Good news for the farmers cultivating pulses in TN, the state government for the first time is to start the pulse procurement at minimum support price (MSP). According to the state agriculture department sources, secretary Gagandeep Singh Bedi has issued orders to the department instructing the field directors to go for the procurement in three districts.
As per the orders pulses will be procured from farmers in Villupuram., Vridhachalam and Kilpenathur in Thiruvannamali district. The administration has tied up with National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India (NAFED) for the purpose and this will help farmers to ensure that their produce does not suffer falling prices in case of over production.
“It’s a small start but I feel that it has huge positive implications for the agricultural marketing department and regulated pulse markets in the future and this will stabilise prices of Pulses in TN. The procurement through NAFED is being tried for the first time in TN on MSP module. But in future, we might procure at rates higher than the prevailing rates and at MSP benefiting the TN farmers”, a senior state official said when contacted.
Procurement of pulses is popular in states like Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh benefiting the farmers and the stakeholders. In TN, pulses are with the private market and this will help the farmers to look out for more sales options, agriculture department sources said adding that the project will be extended to other districts in TN.
