The government has procured over 5.60 lakh tonnes of urad and moong at the support price, worth Rs 3,077 crore, under the Price Support Scheme (PSS) in the 2017-18 kharif season so far, according to official data.
Under the PSS, procurement is undertaken to protect farmers when market rates fall below the minimum support price (MSP) level.
As on January 30, agri-cooperative and state agencies have procured 5,60,335 tonnes of urad and moong grown in the 2017-18 kharif (summer) season, the data showed.
These pulses have been procured at the MSP in seven states -- Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh.
The maximum quantity of 3,93,059 tonnes of urad and moong has been purchased from Rajasthan under the PSS, followed by 64,098 tonnes from Maharashtra and 35,085 tonnes from Karnataka.
Only urad has been procured in Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh and the quantities purchased stood at 19,550 tonnes and 17,434 tonnes, respectively.
The pulses procured so far are worth Rs 3,077.50 crore. The procurement has been undertaken in 472 centres.
Agri-cooperative NAFED, central and state agencies are undertaking the procurement operations.
It may be noted that prices of pulses have fallen sharply in view of higher production. The government has imposed curbs on import of pulses to protect the domestic farmers.
As per the agriculture ministry's estimate, urad production is estimated to have increased to 2.53 million tonnes in the kharif season of 2017-18 crop year (July-June) as against 2.17 million tonnes in the year-ago period.
Though moong output is pegged to be lower at 1.32 million tonnes in this kharif season as against 1.62 million tonnes in the year-ago, production data is likely to see revision in the later assessments.
During 2016-17 crop year, the country had achieved a record pulses production of 23 million tonnes from both kharif and rabi seasons.
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