The Gujarat government is set to initiate the procurement of gram and rapeseed at minimum support prices (MSP) starting from March 23. Agriculture Minister Jitu Vaghani announced that over 2.96 lakh registered farmers will be covered in this initiative to ensure they receive fair prices for their produce. The procurement process will involve 165 centres for gram and 60 centres for rapeseed across the state.
More than 2.59 lakh farmers have registered for selling gram, while over 37,000 farmers have enrolled for rapeseed procurement this season, as per the minister’s statement. The government plans to purchase adequate quantities from all the registered farmers to support them financially. Advanced planning has been completed under the guidance of the Chief Minister to facilitate a smooth procurement process.
To enhance transparency and efficiency, the government has introduced new measures this year. Aadhaar-enabled biometric or face authentication will be used for farmer verification at procurement centres to ensure only registered beneficiaries participate in the sale. In cases where a farmer is unable to be present, a nominee authorized by the farmer can complete the transaction on their behalf to avoid any disruptions.
In a bid to manage crowds and maintain order at procurement centres, farmers will receive prior notification via SMS about their designated date and time for delivering produce. Officials have emphasized the importance of farmers adhering to the scheduled timings to ensure the smooth functioning of operations. The procurement drive is expected to span multiple districts, with the state government relying on a registration-based system to regulate arrivals and oversee the process.
