Maharashtra: Eye on polls, Centre allows procurement of soyabean with higher moisture content

Soyabean, a major cash crop in poll-bound Maharashtra, has caused much unrest among farmers due to the lower realisation in the open market.

Written by Partha Sarathi Biswas

Pune | Updated: November 16, 2024 05:43 AM IST

3 min read

Despite Maharashtra having the largest number of agencies committed to buy the commodity under PSS, procurement is very slow with only 3,887.93 tonnes of the target 13.08 lakh tonnes being procured.

Just days ahead of Maharashtra’s polling, the Central government has allowed procurement of soyabean with 15 per cent moisture as against the standard 12 per cent. This move comes as low prices of the oilseeds and tardy government procurement has fueled anger among farmers in Vidarbha and Marathwada regions of the state.

The office order, issued by Binod Giri, deputy commissioner (MPS), on Friday evening said the department has no objection to “allow moisture content in Soybean upto 15 % (prescribed FAQ percentage upto 12%) for procurement under PSS (Price Support Scheme – under which the Central government procures commodities under their declared Minimum Support Price (MSP) during Kharif 2024-25 season as a one-time measure subject to the condition that all expenses/losses incurred on account of procurement of stock with moisture content upto 15% (prescribed FAQ percentage upto 12%) shall be borne by the respective state governments in the larger interest of the farmers.”

Soyabean, a major cash crop in poll-bound Maharashtra, has caused much unrest among farmers due to the lower realisation in the open market. The state has farmers take the oilseed over 50 lakh hectares, but prices are much below the MSP of Rs 4,892/quintal. At present at Latur’s market–one of the largest soyabean markets in the country–the average price of the oilseed is around Rs 4,100-4,200/quintal.

Also Read | Poll-bound Maharashtra lags behind, while Congress-ruled Telangana races ahead in soybean procurement

Despite Maharashtra having the largest number of agencies committed to buy the commodity under PSS, procurement is very slow with only 3,887.93 tonnes of the target 13.08 lakh tonnes being procured. Government agencies have blamed higher moisture content–15 per cent–for the low procurement. However, farmers say the agencies entrusted with the procurement do not have necessary bandwidth or the infrastructure to allow them to make such largescale procurement. To give a perspective, Maharashtra has 40 agencies involved in procurement–the largest in the country.

As the state nears its polling day, low prices have become a bone of contention for farmers. Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his public rally in Vidarbha has promised monetary aid to soyabean growers, and leader of opposition Rahul Gandhi has also promised MSP of Rs 7,000 + bonus if the MVA comes to power. The present move is aimed at allowing higher quantity of soyabean by relaxing the moisture content norm.

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Tags:

central government Maharashtra Assembly Elections 2024 Minimum Support Price (MSP) Soyabean Vidarbha