Govt approves procurement of 37.39 lakh tons of gram, lentils for 2025 rabi season

The government has approved procurement of 37.39 lakh tonnes of gram and lentils, and 28.28 lakh tonnes of mustard for the 2025 rabi marketing season, Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said on Thursday. The government will procure the commodities through central nodal agencies Nafed and NCCF under the Price Support Scheme (PSS), with Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat being the major growing states. Chouhan said the procurement of pulses includes 27.99 lakh tonnes of gram and 9.40 lakh tonnes of lentil. He urged state governments to ensure procurement is not undertaken below the minimum support price (MSP). On kharif (summer) pulses, the minister said tur procurement has reached 2.46 lakh tonnes, benefiting 1.71 lakh farmers. Tur, urad and lentil are being procured from nine states, including Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat and Maharashtra. "Procurement at MSP is continuing in Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Telangana," Chouhan told reporters. Tur prices in Uttar Pradesh are currently above MSP, and the Centre is committed to 100 per cent procurement through nodal agencies. The purchase period in Karnataka has been extended by 30 days to May 1. In the Budget 2025, the government announced procurement of these pulses for the next four years to achieve self-sufficiency.