The National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd (Nafed) has decided to procure around 43,000 (MTs) metric tonnes of pulses from farmers in Bihar, officials familiar with the matter said.
Nafed, which suspended its operations in Bihar for almost a decade owing to a financial dispute with the state government, signed an agreement with the Bihar State Food and Civil Supplies Corporation (BSFCSC) last month to use the procurement channels for paddy and wheat.
Nafed has set a target of buying around 30,000 MTs of masoor dal and 13,000 of gram dal at the minimum support price (MSP) through primary agricultural cooperative societies (PACS) and Vyapar Mandal in pulse-growing districts. The pulses procured thus would be used in the state government-run integrated child development programme and midday meal schemes.
“The agreement makes it clear that Nafed would be selling the pulses procured from Bihar’s farmers only if the state government declined using it,” Sangeeta Kumari, officer on special duty (OSD) at Bihar food and consumer protection department, said, adding that excess pulses might be distributed among the beneficiaries under the National Food Security Act (NFSA).
Last year also, Nafed had proposed to procure maize and pulses from the farmers on the MSP. It had also arranged sufficient fund to buy around 2 lakh metric tonnes of maize and 60,000 MT of pulses from farmers in April last year. However, the proposal did not take off owing to procedural wrangle.
“Now, all formalities are clear. We have discussed the proposal with PACS and Vyapar Mandal to launch procurement in the next couple of days. The payments will be made instantly,” said a marketing manager of Nafed, Patna, wishing not to be quoted.
The state agriculture department has foreseen a quantum jump in pulse production this year, as its cultivation coverage has significantly gone up to around 6 lakh hectare in 2021-22 as compared to 4.39 lakh hectares in 2019-20. In view of substantial increase in production of pulses and farmers finding it hard to get adequate prices of their produce, the state government had decided to start procurement of pulses under the CM’s Nichayay part-2 on the pattern of paddy and wheat to enhance profit to the farming community.
The Nafed had suspended its operations in Bihar a decade ago following a litigation over payment of taxes to the state government for the paddy procured on behalf of the Food Corporation of India (FCI). The issue was finally resolved last year and Nafed got hold of the bank account that was frozen.
