Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Thursday appealed to all state governments to ensure that there is no purchase below minimum support price (MSP).

He said that the Centre is continuously working with full commitment for the betterment of farmers under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

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“The Modi government is a farmer-friendly government. In this direction, the work of purchasing the produce from the farmers at the minimum support price (MSP) is also being done. Our aim is to benefit the farmers and we will leave no stone unturned to fulfil this noble objective,” the minister said.

Mentioning that self-sufficiency in pulses is the government’s resolve, he said in this context, the purchase of tur is being done in the major tur producing states, which has gained momentum.

In order to increase domestic production of pulses, encourage farmers and reduce dependence on imports, the Minister said the government has approved procurement of tur, urad and lentil under price support scheme (PSS) at 100 per cent of state production for the procurement year 2024-25.

He informed that government has also announced in Budget 2025 that 100 per cent of the state’s production of tur, urad and masoor will be procured for the next four years till 2028-29 to achieve self-sufficiency in pulses in the country.

“The procurement of tur (arhar) has been approved in the states of Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Telangana and Uttar Pradesh under the PSS during the Kharif 2024-25 season. Along with this, in the interest of farmers, Karnataka has also approved extending the procurement period from 90 days by 30 days to May 1,” the Minister said in a statement.

Informing that procurement is continuing at MSP through NAFED and NCCF in Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Telangana, Chouhan said till March 25, a total of 2.46 lakh metric tonnes of tur has been procured in these states, benefiting 1,71,569 farmers of these states.

He said that the price of tur in Uttar Pradesh is currently running above MSP.

The Minister said that the Centre is committed to procure 100 per cent tur from farmers through Central Nodal Agencies.

“Similarly, procurement of gram, mustard and lentil has been approved during RMS 2025. PM-Asha Yojana has been extended till 2025-26. Under this, purchase of pulses and oilseeds from farmers at MSP will continue. The total approved quantity of gram for RMS 2025 is 27.99 lakh metric tonnes and mustard is 28.28 lakh metric tonnes,” he said.

Chouhan said the government has ensured farmers use NAFED and NCCF portals to simplify registration and process.