Nafed steps up procurement of pulses and oilseeds

NEW DELHI: The government has started procurement of pulses and oilseeds from states during lock down. So far Nafed, the central procurement agency, has purchased over 1.21 lakh tonnes of pulses and oilseeds shelling out Rs 595.52 crore, which has benefitted around 90,000 farmers.

Recently, the centre had released Rs 1250 crore for procurement of 1.71 lakh tonnes of chana and 0.87 lakh tonne of masur for buying these pulses at minimum support price(MSP) in 13 states.

The minimum support price of chana has been fixed at Rs 4875 a quintal while masur can be purchased at Rs 4800 a quintal. States can purchase 25% of the total production of these commodities at MSP.


Under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana (PM-GKY), which entitles a ration card holder to have free distribution of one kg pulse per month for three months, more than 5500 tonnes of pulses have been dispatched for delivery to states.

“We are ensuring that every poor household gets pulses, which is considered the cheapest source of protein. During Covid-19 crisis, protein intake is important to enhance immunity,” said an official.