Bhopal, Sep 11 (IANS): The Centre has approved the Madhya Pradesh government's proposal for procurement of soybean crop at the Minimum Support Price (MSP), Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said.
Minister Chouhan said since the Centre has approved Rs 4,992 per quintal MSP for soybeans, the farmers will get the right price for their crop.
"We received the MP government's proposal last night (Tuesday), which we have approved today," Chouhan said in Delhi on Wednesday.
Chief Minister Mohan Yadav expressed his gratitude to the Centre for accepting the proposal for MSP, saying the step will help farmers in the state.
"PM Modi has always worked for the betterment of farmers. On behalf of farmers of MP, I express my heartfelt gratitude to PM Modi and Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan," he added.
CM Yadav, who was in Delhi on Wednesday, met Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
On Tuesday, Mohan Yadav-led MP government sent its proposal after a discussion during a cabinet meeting. The decision was taken following growing resentment from farmers across the state over MSP on the soybean crop.
Chouhan, who headed the MP government for over 17 years (from 2005 to December 2023), also claimed that the farmers in Madhya Pradesh were not getting the right price for their soybean crop.
On Tuesday, Chouhan said that the Centre approved the Maharashtra and Karnataka governments' proposal for the procurement of soybean crops under the Price Support Scheme (PSS) scheme.
"We would allow MP government to procure soybean crop under PSS scheme if they send a recommendation for it," Chouhan had said in Bhopal on Tuesday.
Yadav-led MP government, however, sent a proposal for MSP and not for PSS. Notably, the PSS is a Central government programme that aims to protect farmers from economic losses by procuring crops at a minimum support price (MSP) when prices fall below that level. The PSS applies to notified pulses, oilseeds, and copra.
The farmers in the state have been demanding that the MSP on soybean crops be increased up to Rs 6,000 per quintal.
Notably, Madhya Pradesh has recently occupied the top position with a soybean production of 5.47 million tonnes. MP’s contribution to the total soybean production of the country is 41.92 per cent.
Data suggested that the area under soybean in MP has increased by 1.7 per cent in 2023-24 compared to 2022-23. The increase in the area of soybeans has led to an increase in production as well.