Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has issued instructions to increase the number of purchase centres for Arhar on support price from 64 to 80. He has also asked to extend the fixed target and date for Arhar purchase. He has issued instructions to ensure necessary arrangements for arhar purchase at all centres. The Chief Minister was talking to officials regarding arhar procurement on support price.

 Chouhan said that the state government is resolved to pay the proper price to farmers for their produce. He said that the number of fixed 64 centres for arhar purchase to farmers be increased to 80. Arrangements should be made for purchase of FAQ Quality Arhar on support price at all the centres so that the farmers have no trouble.

The bid of traders for procurement of FAQ quality Arhar should be postponed as per the rule. NAFED should be sanctioned Rs 10 crore for purchase on support price. The Chief Minister said that the district collectors would be responsible to keep an eye on the arrangements for arhar purchase.

Keeping in view the excess production of Arhar the Chief Minister has instructed the officials to urge the Government of India to increase the target of purchase on support price in the state from 91,800 metric tons to 2 lakh metric tons. Moreover, extend the scheduled date to April 30 from March 15. For this he himself discussed the matter with the Union Minister for Agriculture over phone. He instructed that the information of arrival of Arhar in krishi upaj mandis and purchase on support price in the state should be given to the CM Secretariat.

It was told that there are 64 fixed centres for Tuar purchase on support price in the state right now, which include 41 of NAFED, 21 of FCI and 2 of SFAC (Small Farmers Agriculture-Business Consortium). So far 16,400 metric tons against the total import of 32,000 metric tons of Arhar has been purchased on minimum support price under Price Regularization fund in the state.