New Delhi
The Central Government has decided to increase the Prime Minister Annadata Income Conservation Campaign (PM-AASHA) scheme by 2025-26 to give farmers a fair price for their crops and increase the self-sufficiency of pulses in the country. Under this scheme, the government has announced to ensure 100 % purchase of tur (arhar), urad and lentils, which will boost the production of pulses in the country and reduce dependence on imports.
The government has allowed the purchase of pulses in states equal to the total production of 2024-25. This decision has been taken with the objective of giving full advantage of minimum support price (MSP) to farmers and maintaining the stability of prices in the market. With this, farmers will be able to sell their crops to the government without any concern and they will also get a reasonable price.
At the same time, Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan approved the purchase of 13.22 lakh MT (LMT) tur in Kharif 2024-25 seasons in Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Telangana and Uttar Pradesh Has given This decision will benefit the farmers of these states.
The government has already started the procurement process in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Telangana. So far, 0.15 lakh MT (LMT) tur has been procured, which has benefited 12,006 farmers. Soon, the procurement process will start in other states as well, this will benefit more farmers.
The government has assured that 100% tur will be purchased from farmers. For this, central agencies like NAFED and NCCF will collect the procurement process in collaboration with the states. Recently, the government had also announced in the budget 2025 that 100% purchase of tur, urad and lentils would be continued for the next four years. This decision will prove to be an important step towards increasing the income of farmers and making the country self -sufficient in pulses.