In a written reply to the Lok Sabha, Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Ramnath Thakur informed that the Government of India had approved 14.13 lakh MT of soybean for procurement under the Price Support Scheme (PSS) during the Kharif 2024-25 season in Maharashtra.
Of this sanctioned quantity, the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India (NAFED) procured 8.35 lakh MT, while the National Cooperative Consumers’ Federation of India (NCCF) procured 2.84 lakh MT of soybean from pre-registered farmers in the state.
To ensure maximum farmer participation, the designated procurement period of 90 days from October 15, 2024 was extended twice, first up to January 31, 2025 and then until February 6, 2025.
However, the minister clarified that under the PSS framework, there is no provision to compensate the difference between the Minimum Support Price (MSP) and market price for farmers whose produce could not be purchased.
In Kharif 2024, the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India (NAFED) registered 65,044 farmers in the Osmanabad Lok Sabha Constituency for Soybean purchase under the Price Support Scheme (PSS). During the procurement period from 15.10.2024 to 06.02.2025, NAFED procured Soyabean from 32,947 farmers.
Procurement of Soybean was carried out as per the arrivals from the registered farmers at the designated procurement centres in the constituency during the procurement period.