New Delhi, Apr 01 (JKNS): Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Wednesday chaired a high-level review meeting with state counterparts, issuing firm directions to curb fertiliser hoarding, accelerate farmer ID coverage and ensure transparent procurement systems, while stressing timely grievance redressal and fair pricing to strengthen the agriculture sector.
As per news agency JKNS, Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, and Rural Development, Shivraj Singh Chouhan held a virtual meeting today with the agriculture ministers of the states to review the progress of farmer ID, fertiliser availability, and various agricultural schemes.
During the meeting, the Union Minister stated that farmer ID is an important medium to connect farmers with their land, crops, livestock, and fisheries. So far, a total of 9.25 crore farmer IDs have been created across 19 states.
He directed that the agriculture and revenue departments of state governments should jointly launch a campaign so as to try and achieve a 100 per cent target within the next six months. At the same time, a wide‑scale public awareness campaign should be conducted to ensure that farmer registration is not limited only to PM‑Kisan beneficiaries, but all eligible farmers are included.
While discussing fertiliser availability, the Union Minister said that no shortage of fertilisers should be allowed for farmers. He issued directions to the states to strictly check hoarding and black‑marketing of fertilisers.
He said that a technology‑based equitable distribution system should be ensured so that fertilisers are available to farmers as per their requirements, and at the same time awareness should be increased to prevent imbalanced use and to promote organic and natural farming.
Giving directions to maintain special vigilance in border areas, he said that illegal movement of fertilisers must be checked. While appreciating Haryana’s ‘Meri Fasal, Mera Byora’ initiative, Chouhan described it as a model that can be emulated by other states.
A review was also held on the procurement of pulses and oilseeds at Minimum Support Price (MSP) under the PM‑AASHA scheme. Shivraj Singh Chouhan explained that the government undertakes procurement of pulses and oilseeds at MSP under this scheme and the states participate as per the scheme guidelines.
Recently, approvals have been granted to the following states for procurement of the listed crops, Andhra Pradesh (chana, moong, urad, arhar, groundnut); Assam (rapeseed/mustard); Bihar (masur); Chhattisgarh (chana, masur, rapeseed/mustard); Gujarat (chana, rapeseed/mustard); Haryana (chana, rapeseed/mustard); Karnataka (chana, kusum); Maharashtra (chana); Madhya Pradesh (chana); Rajasthan (chana, rapeseed/mustard); Telangana (chana, urad, groundnut, sunflower); Uttar Pradesh (chana, masur, rapeseed/mustard).
The Union Minister directed that procurement should be limited strictly to FAQ (Fair Average Quality) produce. Farmers’ registration should be done on Aadhaar‑linked portals and biometric or face authentication should be made mandatory at procurement centres. Payment should be made directly into farmers’ bank accounts through Aadhaar‑enabled DBT (direct benefit transfer), and at the same time there should be an adequate number of procurement centres so that farmers do not face any difficulties.
He also asked the states to ensure that farmers receive a fair price for their produce, their complaints are redressed in time, and procurement is done directly from the farmers.
Information on Regional Agriculture…
