Government procurement of Rabi crops will start in Rajasthan from next month
24-Mar-2025 04:41 PM
Jaipur. The procurement of Rabi crops from farmers at Minimum Support Price (MSP) will start from next month i.e. April-2025 in Rajasthan, an important agricultural producing state located in the western part of the country.
The government has decided to start the procurement of mustard and gram from April 10, which will provide relief to the farmers.
According to the Cooperative Department, the necessary preparations for the procurement of both the major oilseeds and pulses have already started.
As per the target set by the Central Government, 13.80 lakh tonnes of mustard and 6.30 lakh tonnes of gram will be procured in Rajasthan this year, which will be based on biometric certification. Rajasthan is the most prominent producer of mustard.
According to the State Agriculture Department, during the current Rabi season, mustard was sown in 33.80 lakh hectares of area in Rajasthan, while its total production may be slightly more than 55 lakh tonnes.
At the national level, the contribution of Rajasthan alone in the gross production of mustard ranges between 45 to 49 percent.
According to the Agriculture Department, during the last Rabi season, the area under mustard cultivation in Rajasthan was 39 lakh hectares and the total production was 62 lakh tonnes. Similarly, gram was sown in 20 lakh hectares and the yield was estimated to be around 25 lakh tonnes.
According to the Rajasthan Agriculture Department, wheat production in the state is likely to be almost equal to last year and the production of barley and gram is expected to increase, while the production of mustard may decrease because there was a significant decline in its sowing area.
Industry-trade organizations have estimated the production of mustard in Rajasthan to decrease from 53 lakh tonnes last year to 51 lakh tonnes this time.
According to a leading trader, heavy arrivals of new mustard have started in all the major markets of Rajasthan, while at the national level also its average daily arrival has increased to 13-15 lakh sacks. Daily arrivals in Rajasthan are between 7.50-8.00 lakh sacks.
Despite the fall in production, the quality of new mustard is much better and the moisture content in it is seen to be only between 2 to 3 percent.
On the other hand, the oil content in new mustard is being recorded to be 40 to 43 percent on an average.
According to another trader, this time the production of gram in Rajasthan is expected to be 20-25 percent more than last year because the weather has remained quite favorable for it.
It also rained from time to time during the winter. As far as barley is concerned, its sowing area was more than 3 lakh hectares and the total production can reach 14 lakh tonnes.