The Union Agriculture Ministry has decided to extend the deadline for soybean procurement from Maharashtra, Rajasthan, and Telangana, which originally ended on January 12. Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan announced that procurement in Maharashtra will continue until January 31, while the new deadline for Rajasthan is February 4. Both states had requested the extension.
“Telangana also requested an extension, and we have approved it,” the Minister stated. Additionally, the Centre will now procure 25,000 tonnes of soybean from Telangana, increasing the original target of 59,508 tonnes.
So far, a total of 13.68 lakh tonnes of soybean have been procured from all states, against the target of 33.60 lakh tonnes. When asked about the shortfall in procurement, the Minister attributed it to the State governments’ responsibility for arranging procurement. “We will consider extending the procurement deadline for other states if we receive requests,” he added.
Mr. Chouhan also held a review meeting with senior officials from the Ministry to discuss agricultural issues. “Several topics were covered, including farm produce, marketing of agricultural products, imports and exports, and weather conditions,” a government release stated.
The release also quoted the Minister saying he plans to hold regular meetings with State governments at the Agriculture Ministers’ level. He emphasized that officials should engage consistently with State governments to address these issues, as tackling them at the ground level requires active involvement from state officials.
Source: The Hindu
