The National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd (Nafed) aims to purchase from farmers in Bihar this season from April about 2 lakh metric tonnes of maize after a decade.
It is also expected that the central agency will set up procurement centers in the central and western districts of Bihar to buy around 60,000 metric tons of pulses, especially masoor from farmers at the minimum price support price (MSP).
Officials said the organization had arranged ample funds to guarantee prompt payment to farmers who, in the absence of MSP procurement, were previously compelled to sell their farm produce at throwaway rates.
After the Civil Supplies and Consumer Protection Department asked the agency to relaunch the procurement for crops other than paddy and wheat, Nafed decided to restart its network.
'In order to set up procurement centers for pulses in Nalanda, Buxar, Ara, Gaya, Aurangabad, and Nawada, we are in communication with the state cooperative department and primary agricultural cooperative societies. Maize procurement districts are being established,' said the branch manager of Nafed, Patna, Yatendra Singh.
The estimated production of maize and pulses is likely to exceed approximately 6 lakh metric tonnes and 5 lakh metric tonnes this season, according to agricultural experts.
The area for the production of pulses declined to 4.39 lakh hectares in 2019-20 compared to 10.83 lakh hectares in 1991-92 in the absence of a mechanism for state-sponsored procurement.
