Procure crops, not just announce MSP: Thummala to Centre

Metro India News | Hyderabad 

Agriculture Minister Thummala Nageswara Rao has strongly criticized the Central Government for limiting its role to merely announcing Minimum Support Prices and failing to ensure effective procurement of crops. He stated that the Centre’s promise to double farmers’ income within ten years has remained unfulfilled, leaving farmers in distress.

In a letter to Centre, the Minister pointed out that despite significant gaps between market prices and support prices, the Centre has not extended adequate procurement support to states. He questioned how farmers are expected to benefit when procurement mechanisms remain weak and inconsistent. He further alleged that imposing restrictions on crop procurement reflects a lack of commitment toward farmers’ welfare.

Highlighting specific concerns, he noted that the Centre has restricted procurement of crops such as soybean, bengal gram, groundnut, green gram and sunflower to just 25 percent of total production. As a result, the Telangana Government is forced to procure the remaining produce at support price through state agencies, placing a heavy financial burden on the state.

The Minister also criticized the Centre’s approach towards maize procurement, stating that while support prices are announced and periodically increased, no concrete steps are taken to ensure farmers actually receive those prices. This has forced farmers to sell in open markets at lower rates.

He emphasized that the Telangana government has stepped in to protect farmers by expanding procurement operations, including maize, through Markfed, spending thousands of crores annually. He urged the Centre to permit procurement of maize through NAFED ( National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd) and remove the 25 percent cap on pulses and oilseeds, ensuring full procurement to support farmers and reduce the financial strain on the state.