MP extends wheat procurement registration deadline, norms relaxed

Bhopal, April 3 (IANS) The Madhya Pradesh government has extended the registration deadline for wheat procurement from farmers for the Rabi marketing year 2025-26.

State Food, Civil Supplies, and Consumer Protection Minister Govind Singh Rajput said the registration period, which was set to end on March 31, 2025, has been extended till April 9.

The extension aims to ensure that more farmers can benefit from the procurement process. So far, 13.98 lakh farmers have registered to sell wheat at the minimum support price (MSP).

Minister Rajput has urged farmers who have not yet registered to take advantage of this extended window and complete their registration by April 9.

The minimum support price for wheat has been set at Rs 2,425 per quintal, and the state government is providing an additional bonus of Rs 175 per quintal. This effectively raises the procurement price to Rs 2,600 per quintal.

As of March 31, 15,09,324 farmers have registered for the procurement scheme. Recent unseasonal rain has delayed the wheat harvesting process and affected grain quality.

To address this, the Union government has relaxed procurement norms, allowing the purchase of grains with lustre loss exceeding 10 per cent, albeit with a marginal value cut of Rs 5.31 per quintal against the MSP of Rs 2,125 per quintal.

The Food Ministry has instructed Madhya Pradesh authorities to stack and account for the wheat procured under these relaxed norms separately, ensuring that it is liquidated on a priority basis.

Last year, similar relaxations were made, allowing the procurement of wheat with up to 25 per cent lustre loss in Panna and Sagar districts.

Minister Rajput further disclosed that 58,07,11 metric tonnes of wheat have already been procured from 74,697 farmers in the state under MSP.

Payments are being disbursed on time, with Rs 757.36 crore paid to farmers. However, adverse weather conditions still pose a challenge to wheat farmers.

--IANS

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