Guwahati, May 31: In a major boost to the state’s agriculture sector, the Assam government has decided to set up procurement centres across the state to procure mustard seeds from farmers and offer them a fixed minimum support price (MSP) of Rs 5,450 per quintal.
The MSP is significantly higher than the prevailing market rate of Rs 4500 to Rs 4800 per quintal that mustard farmers in the state get.
Notably, the Assam government has given its approval to procure 45,793 metric tonnes of mustard seeds under the Price Support Scheme for Rabi season 2023.
The move will ensure an additional income of about Rs 250 crore for the farmers, which will significantly boost the state’s economy and contribute to their welfare.
Addressing mediapersons here to announce the scheme on Wednesday, Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that mustard cultivators would soon be able to sell their produce in as many as 101 designated mustard procurement centres across the state.
Procurement will be initially done through two centres – Raha (Nagaon) and Amingaon (Kamrup Rural) – while nine other centres are being set up across the state soon. More such centres will be operationalised in a phased manner.
“Procurement will be done through Assam State Agricultural Board and Assam Food and Civil Supplies Corporation as the state level agencies, and National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd (NAFED) as the central agency,” the chief minister said.
“After procurement of rice from the farmers, now the state government has taken this initiative for mustard procurement. I appeal to all mustard cultivators to sell their produce at government procurement centres,” he said.
The mustard procured by the state government will be sold to NAFED.
“Bank account numbers of the beneficiary farmers will subsequently be given to NAFED. These farmers will thereafter receive the MSP of Rs 5,450 per quintal directly in their bank accounts within three working days of the sale of their stock,” the chief minister said.
“This scheme will ensure the welfare of our farmers. The MSP is about Rs 1,000 more than the market price of Rs 4,500 per quintal,” he said.
Sarma further announced that dairy farmers of the state would also be able to avail government benefits. “A subsidy of Rs 5 per litre of milk will be given to the dairy farmers with effect from June 1, 2023,” he said.