Gandhinagar — The statewide purchase of Kharif crops at the government-declared support price commenced today. Agriculture Minister Jitubhai Vaghani inaugurated the procurement process at Dehgam in Gandhinagar district, marking the official start of the large-scale initiative to support farmers across Gujarat.

Following the inauguration, Vaghani interacted with farmers who arrived to sell their produce under the Minimum Support Price (MSP) scheme. He also reviewed the arrangements made for smooth and transparent procurement and inspected the purchase facilities.

Farmers expressed their gratitude to the state government led by Chief Minister Bhupendrabhai Patel for implementing a support price policy that offers returns higher than prevailing market rates. Many described the initiative as a major relief and encouragement for cultivators.

The state government has approved procurement of groundnut, moong, urad, and soybean worth over ₹15,000 crore. The decision aims to ensure fair remuneration to farmers and protect them from market fluctuations.

The Government of India has set the support price for groundnut at ₹7,263 per quintal, significantly higher than the current market price of around ₹5,000 per quintal. This difference of approximately ₹2,263 per quintal has led to enthusiastic participation from farmers opting to sell their produce at the MSP.

The launch event was attended by Dehgam MLA Balrajsinh Chauhan, Co-operative Processing Society Ltd. Chairman Dhanwantsinh Chauhan, Gandhinagar District Collector Mehul K. Dave, officials of the Agriculture Department, and several beneficiary farmers.

The procurement drive is expected to provide strong price assurance and income security to thousands of farmers across the state during the Kharif season.