As wheat price falls in open market, MP extends MSP registration date for farmers

The online ‘e-uparjan’ portal of MP government’s Department of Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Protection will be open for registration from March 22 to March 24. The farmers who could not register earlier can do so now. “The decision to extend the date has been taken in view of unseasonal rains (since the middle of) this month,” an official letter to district collectors, dated March 21, said.

Farmers in MP are required to register themselves before the marketing season for selling their harvest at MSP. The food and supplies department had initially allowed registrations for the current marketing season — procurement operations are to begin from March 25 — till February 28. This date was subsequently extended to March 5.

The Indian Express had reported on March 19 that high open market wheat prices till about a month ago had led to low registration by farmers this time. With prices in major mandis ruling at Rs 2,800-3,000/quintal levels until end-January, the need to sell to the government at MSP was not felt at that time. But the Centre’s move to sell up to 45 lakh tonnes of wheat from FCI’s stocks in February-March resulted in prices crashing below MSP and demands for re-opening of registrations.

Mahesh Trivedi, a former government official now associated with RSS-affiliated Bharatiya Kisan Sangh, welcomed the decision. “The rain has caused discolouration of the grain. Private traders and mills will cite lustre loss to drag down prices. The government cannot afford to alienate farmers before the elections,” he said.