The State Government has requested the Centre to relax the fair average quality specifications for procurement of green gram so that small and marginal farmers who cultivate the pulse crop can get minimum support price.
In a letter addressed to Union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh on Monday, Telangana Minister for Marketing T. Harish Rao explained that unfavourable weather conditions during the kharif season, particularly during the seed formation stage of the crop, reduced the size of the grain. As a result, the produce was consisting of small-size and immature grains including the shrivelled and damaged ones.
Thanking the Union Minister for approving procurement of 13,750 tonnes of green gram under MSP operations in Telangana Mr. Harish Rao stated that Markfed had opened 12 purchase centres for procurement of green gram on behalf of Nafed.
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However, the centres could procure only 482.34 quintals till September 23 as the produce being brought to the centres by the farmers was not conforming to quality parameters fixed by the Nafed.
Although farmers were getting most of their green gram produce to the purchase centres the stocks were being rejected by the Nafed officials. The Marketing Minister has requested the Union Agriculture Minister to relax the quality parameters of green gram for procurement by increasing the admixture from 3% to 6%, damaged grains from 3% to 9%, slightly damaged grains from 4% to 7%, immature and shrivelled grains from 3% to 8% and weevil-affected grains from 4% to 6%.
Officials stated that they could ask Markfed to open remaining 15 green gram purchase centres as planned only if the quality specifications were relaxed.
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Rejection of the stocks being brought to the already opened centres was discouraging the farmers to take their produce to procurement centres, it is said.
Separately, Agriculture Production Commissioner C. Parthasarathi, also wrote to Joint Secretary in the Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Ashish Kumar Bhutani requesting relaxation of quality norms for procurement of green gram citing unfavourable weather conditions, particularly the long dry spell during the crucial stages of crop including grain formation.