Farmers not selling red gram at procurement centres
The Hindu
This is in view of the market price of the produce hovering above MSP
Though more than 16,000 farmers have registered at 184 procurement centres set up by the district administration to buy red gram at a minimum support price (MSP) of ₹6,300 per quintal, not one of them has sold his crop at these centres as the market price of the produce is hovering above the MSP.
A majority of farmers are too small to generate an adequate marketable surplus and they do not take the trouble of going to the procurement centres as they prefer to sell their crop to local traders to avoid practical difficulties and cumbersome process involved in selling their produce at the centres.
A dall mill owner said that most of the farmers have decided to hold back their produce anticipating better prices, though the price is hovering between ₹6,400 and ₹6,600 per quintal in the private market. However, there is a huge demand for old stock and the price for red gram harvested during the last kharif season may go up to ₹7,000 per quintal. The price for fresh arrivals will remain the same, he added.