Through the portal, farmers will be able to sell tur dal to the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India (Nafed) or the National Cooperative Consumers’ Federation of India (NCCF) at the minimum support price (MSP) or market price, whichever is higher.

A similar facility will be launched soon for other farm produce, he said, adding that the farmers will have direct benefit transfer benefits. About ₹6.8 million has already been transferred to 25 farmers toward payment for sale of tur via the portal, he added.

Nafed and NCCF will undertake procurement of pulses on behalf of the government to maintain a buffer stock.

“Produce pulses and make the country self-reliant in this sector. It is necessary to make India self-reliant in pulses production. I assure you that by December 2027, India will become self-reliant in the production of pulses and we will not have to buy a kilo of pulses from other nations,” Shah said at the launch event of ‘e-samridhi portal’.

“It is the responsibility of the Modi government to purchase your pulses on MSP,” Shah said, adding that the tur dal MSP has risen 65% to ₹7,000 per quintal from ₹4,350 in 2014-15.

“If the price is higher in the open market, we will even purchase farmers’ produce at that rate. Register first before you start cultivation and later you can decide whether to sell your produce to the government or in the open market,” Shah added.

Though the procurement portal is only for pulses now, a similar facility will be available for masur, urad, maize and other 35 organic products, Shah said.

Mint on 20 November reported that the union government was crafting a scheme (Bharat Dal Utpadan Swavlamban Abhiyan, or the Indian mission for self-sufficiency in pulse production) to lift production, meet buffer norms and end import dependency.

Currently, India produces 27 million tonnes of pulses against a domestic demand of 28 mt. In calendar year 2023, India imported 2.9 mt of tur, urad and masur, marking a 39.7% increase from the 2 mt imported a year earlier.

The portal will streamline the entire process for ‘tur dal’ growers in Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Gujarat, Karnataka and Jharkhand, simplifying the registration, procurement and payment processes.

The portal aims to reduce dependence on imports by purchasing 80% of the buffer stock directly from farmers. This will not only secure food production but also ensure the nation’s future food security, Shah said,

“The process of registration, purchase and payment on the portal will be available on a single medium. Portal registration of farmers can be done directly or through the Primary Agricultural Credit Society (PACS) and Farmers Producers Organisation (FPO). The payment to the farmers will be made by NAFED directly into their mapped bank account and no agency will be involved in between. The entire process is farmer-centric in which farmers themselves can track the activities from registration to payment,” said Shah.

This initiative complements the “Atmanirbhar Bharat” campaign, Shah added, pointing “the multilingual electronic portal https://esamridhi.in will connect farmers, NAFED and concerned government departments, streamlining processes for better accessibility.”

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Published: 04 Jan 2024, 09:09 PM IST