The Maharashtra government is planning to establish a permanent mechanism for the procurement of soybean from farmers to ensure uninterrupted purchases every year. This initiative aims to prevent the challenges faced by farmers during the current marketing season, such as the fall in wholesale prices below the Minimum Support Price (MSP) and delayed government procurement.
Key points from the plan:
Advance Preparation: The Chief Minister has instructed the Marketing Department to complete the preparations for soybean procurement by October, a month before the procurement process begins in November. This includes the registration of farmers.
Agri Hubs Development: The Chief Minister also emphasized the development of agricultural hubs along the Mumbai-Nagpur Samriddhi Expressway under the Maharashtra Agri Network (Magnet) Project. These hubs would help improve the state's agricultural infrastructure. Officials have been tasked with preparing a detailed plan for these hubs.
Farmer Support: The government aims to ensure that soybean is purchased from farmers at a fair price, with a target of Rs 6000 per quintal, higher than the Rs 4892 MSP set by the Center. The late start of government procurement has caused financial losses for farmers.
Agro-Logistics Hubs: A proposal is being developed to set up agro logistics hubs in all four divisions of the state to facilitate smooth procurement and distribution.
This initiative seeks to safeguard the interests of soybean farmers by addressing the issues faced in the procurement process, ensuring timely purchases at fair prices, and improving the state's agricultural infrastructure.