Gadwal creates records in red gram procurement

Gadwal: The Gadwal district has achieved a new record of procuring more than 50 per cent accounting to approximately 75,000 quintals of red gram as against a total production of 1.5 lakh quintals from the farmers through the newly set up procurement centres in the district.

According to District Collector Rajat Kumar Saini, after formation of Jogulamba Gadwal as a new district Red gram production has increased many folds due to increased interaction and awareness programmes by the Agriculture Department. Keeping this in view the State government had opened new procurement centres; where in Food Corporation of India (FCI) in coordination with HAKA has procured maximum red gram production from the farmers. 

“We can say, Gadwal has achieved a record in the procurement of red gram in just one year of its formation. Almost 50 per cent of red gram production in the district has been procured by the government agencies and maximum farmers have been benefited from the minimum support price of Rs 5,450 per quintal. 

However, we have also taken every care to ensure that the procurement scheme do not get hijacked by the middle men and brokers and ensured that every farmer who brings in their red gram produce should also produce appropriate documents like produce Aadhar card, a written consent from VRO and details about their land and crop details. 

By doing so we are ensuring that the true farmers are benefited,” said the District Collector. 
 For enabling the farmers get minimum support price for various agriculture crops like Moong dal, Red gram and ground nut, the government has set up more than 182 procurement centres across the State and has entrusted FCI and HAKA for procuring the crops at MSP prices.  

However, on one hand when the government is trying to help the farmers to get MSP for their agriculture produce, on the other some of middle men and brokers are taking advantage of this and brining in the already stocked Red gram and other agriculture produced from the godowns and selling them at the procurement centres and hijacking the government’s initiative to help the true farmers.

“We have also got information that some people are importing stocks from other States and selling at the procurement centres get the MSP price offered by the government. To avoid such mal practices we have employed a very systematic method and only those who are identified as true farmers are allowed to sell at the procurement centres,” informed Rajat Kumar saini.