Madhya Pradesh relaxes wheat procurement norms to ease farmer sales

Official data indicate procurement from several lakh farmers has been completed, with payments amounting to thousands of crores disbursed.

Direct income support continues through the Mukhyamantri Kisan Kalyan Yojana, providing eligible farmers ₹6,000 annually in three instalments transferred directly to bank accounts.

In the dairy sector, institutional support was expanded through new milk cooperatives and higher daily milk collection, with subsidies linked to investment levels to support dairy units.

The state designated 2026 as a year focused on farmer welfare, with schemes including subsidised agricultural pump connections and solar irrigation pumps with up to 90% subsidy, aimed at reducing dependence on conventional electricity and improving fertiliser distribution and stock levels.

Earlier, the government revised compensation provisions in land acquisition cases, allowing for payments of up to four times the value of land in certain instances.

As part of related measures, urad will be procured at the minimum support price (MSP) with an additional bonus of ₹600 per quintal, and the price deficiency payment scheme is being extended to mustard following its prior implementation for soybean.

Farmers have been allowed to sell their produce at any procurement centre within their district, and the deadline for slot booking has been extended (with potential further extensions if required).

The procurement target was raised from 7.8 million metric tonnes to 10 million metric tonnes, and the daily handling capacity of centres was expanded.

The changes include an expanded procurement network, with more than 3,500 centres set up across the state to improve collection capacity.

The threshold for damaged grains was raised and wheat with lower lustre will be eligible for procurement subject to specified conditions.

The permissible limit for underdeveloped grains was increased from 6% to 10% as part of the revised procurement norms.

The Madhya Pradesh government revised wheat procurement quality norms for the ongoing rabi marketing season, introducing relaxations intended to facilitate sales by farmers affected by adverse conditions.