Online registration of farmers, higher moisture in the produce delay the procurement
Mumbai: The targeted procurement of 4.46 lakh tonnes of tur (redgram or pigeon pea) in Maharashtra is expected to commence on a full scale by February 1.
The Nafed procurement process is delayed as farmers have been asked to first register online for selling their produce. Sources in the Nafed said that about one lakh farmers have registered for selling the crop.
Nafed is expected to open over 150 centres for procurement of tur.
Inferior quality
Higher moisture content and non-FAQ quality of the produce in some locations too have delayed the process of procurement.
FAQ stands for Fair Average Quality which sets the quality parameters for the crop, below which the procurement is not done.
Farmers are awaiting the procurement as they are getting only ?4,200-4,400 a quintal against an MSP of ?5,450. Pasha Patel, Chairman, Maharashtra State Commission for Agriculture and Prices, said the produce has higher moisture content because of which it is not fitting in the FAQ norms of Nafed.
In a few days, the moisture content will get reduced and then the procurement of tur will start, he said.
Patel said that last year about 7.7 lakh tonnes of tur were procured due to a bumper crop. This year, however, it is not expected to reach such levels.
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