Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav announced the formation of a five-member committee to engage with farmers and resolve their concerns through dialogue amid ongoing protests over moong procurement and agriculture-related demands. As reported by ANI, the committee comprises Agriculture Minister Aidal Singh Kansana, Minister Krishna Gaur, Minister Vishvas Sarang, Minister Rakesh Singh and senior officials, who will hold discussions with farmers. CM Yadav emphasized that the government remained committed to addressing farmers' concerns through constructive discussions, stating "We request the farmers to engage in dialogue. The government has always stood with farmers and welcomes their positive suggestions." He stressed that both sides should ensure the general public does not face inconvenience, believing "solutions can be found through dialogue."
Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan announced that the Centre has approved a record 4.54 lakh metric tonnes of moong procurement for Madhya Pradesh under the Price Support Scheme, making it the highest allocation to any state this season. As reported by The Times of India, Chouhan's statement came in response to a letter dated July 28 from Madhya Pradesh Agriculture Minister Aidal Singh Kansana, who had sought approval for procurement of 4.54 lakh MT of moong. The approval accounts for nearly 87% of the total 5,23,243 MT approved across the country for the 2025-26 summer season. Chouhan clarified that while the Centre approves procurement up to 25% of a state's production under the PM-AASHA scheme, procurement beyond that must be undertaken by the state government. He urged the state government to expedite procurement in the interest of farmers, noting that around 60,000 MT of moong had been procured in Madhya Pradesh till July 29.
The current procurement urgency stems from an abundant harvest of 20.16 lakh metric tonnes statewide, with farmers producing up to 1410 kilograms of moong per hectare. As reported by The Economic Times, despite this massive production, the Centre has agreed to procure only about 4.54 lakh metric tonnes under the Price Support Scheme, leaving a massive amount of harvest without guaranteed buyers. The scheme procures crop directly from farmers at the declared minimum support price when market rates drop below the threshold, but the current procurement leaves farmers earning less than their crop's full potential in the open market. The farmers' demands include timely access to fertilizer at fair prices ahead of the next sowing cycles without current system delays.
The protests also highlight significant issues with the digital booking process for government procurement centers, which farmers describe as complicated and inefficient. As reported by The Economic Times, out of 3.47 lakh farmers who registered to sell moong this season, only 82,000 have managed to complete a transaction. The farmers demand the abolition of the e-token system used for fertilizer distribution and seek timely and adequate fertilizer availability for upcoming sowing cycles. Despite the government's outreach, the protest continued after the first round of talks between State Agriculture Minister Aidal Singh Kansana and farmer leaders ended without a breakthrough on Tuesday night, with farmers remaining on the roads overnight and disrupting traffic. Schools in nearby areas remained closed on Wednesday morning, with authorities declaring holidays due to protest-related disruptions.
For the 2025-26 summer season, the Centre has approved procurement of 523,243 tonnes of moong across the country, with the distribution as follows: 454,580 tonnes for Madhya Pradesh, 48,298 tonnes for Uttar Pradesh, 18,250 tonnes for Gujarat and 2,115 tonnes for Haryana. According to The Times of India, Chouhan noted that the Centre has consistently extended the maximum permissible support to Madhya Pradesh under the scheme, with procurement approvals steadily increasing from 275,645 tonnes in both 2021-22 and 2022-23 to 454,580 tonnes in 2025-26. Last year, the state ended up procuring 7.72 lakh metric tonnes despite the original target being just 4.19 lakh metric tonnes. Madhya Pradesh Agriculture Minister Aidal Singh Kansana has written to Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan seeking an increase in the procurement limit for summer moong, indicating ongoing discussions about expanding the current allocation.
