The farmers of Bihar are crying foul! Government has given a big gift, now your pocket will be heavy

Patna. A new initiative is being discussed rapidly in the agricultural sector of Bihar. Till now, the scope of government procurement in the state was mainly limited to paddy and wheat, but now there are preparations to include crops like gram, lentils and mustard in the MSP procurement system. This change is being seen as a big relief for the farmers.

Why was the benefit not available till now?

The system of government procurement in Bihar has mostly been the responsibility of the state government, which is called decentralized procurement system (DCP). For this reason, procurement of paddy and wheat continued to be done regularly, but pulses and oilseed crops could not become a part of this system. Apart from this, lack of formal agreement between the Center and the state and limitations in the procurement structure are also considered to be major reasons.

Impact of the Centre’s new strategy

Now the focus of the central government is to make the country self-reliant in pulses and oilseed production. In this direction, states are also being motivated to increase MSP purchase. If Bihar implements this process in a strong manner, farmers can get direct benefits.

Picture changed after APMC ended

The APMC market system in Bihar was abolished after 2006. After this, the organized market system for farmers became weak and in many places they had to sell their crops to middlemen. This also affected the prices.

What will change for farmers?

If the new system is implemented properly, farmers can get many benefits-

Government procurement of pulses and oilseeds will start

Sales opportunities at MSP will increase

The hold of middlemen in the market will reduce

There will be hope for improvement in farmers’ income