Telangana : Tummala pushes for inclusion of maize, jowar in MSP scheme
Telangana has urged the Centre to include maize and jowar under the Price Support Scheme and remove the 25% purchase cap on chickpeas and sunflower. The state seeks expanded procurement to ensure MSP coverage, prevent distress sales, and support farmers facing low market prices.
Telangana Agriculture Minister Tummala Nageswara Rao has once again appealed to the Union Government to expand the Price Support Scheme to include maize and jowar, two widely cultivated crops in the state. In a letter addressed to Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Monday, Tummala stressed the urgent need to remove the existing 25 per cent purchase limit on chickpeas and sunflower, which has left farmers struggling to sell produce at remunerative prices.
He pointed out that central restrictions forced the state government to shoulder a heavy financial burden by procuring remaining produce. While the Centre permitted the purchase of 29,860 metric tonnes of chickpeas and 3,690 metric tonnes of sunflower, these quotas were exhausted last week, leaving significant quantities unsold.
Highlighting the scale of cultivation, Tummala noted that maize was grown across 11.21 lakh acres this rabi season, while jowar was cultivated on 3.68 lakh acres. Despite setting up 246 procurement centres and purchasing 3.99 lakh metric tonnes of maize at MSP, farmers continue to face distress due to low market prices.
The Minister urged the Centre to authorise nodal agencies to procure 14.89 lakh metric tonnes of maize and 2.76 lakh metric tonnes of jowar under the scheme. He argued that such intervention would guarantee MSP, prevent distress sales, and stabilise the agricultural economy. This formal request seeks to ensure that Telangana’s cultivators are protected from market fluctuations through robust central government intervention and expanded procurement quotas.
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Source : The Hans India
