Gujarat seeks revision in FAQ norms for groundnut procurement

The state government has written a letter to the Centre in this regard, he said here Saturday.

"The government wrote to the Centre following demands by farmers from the state to revise the fair average quality (FAQ) norms for groundnut," Patel told PTI.

As per FAQ norms, groundnut should have enough weight so that 35 kg of oilseeds could be packed in one bag. Those produce not meeting this criteria are liable for rejection at procurement centres.

The government has started procuring groundnut through 122 centres, mainly in the Saurashtra region, from last Thursday.

Farmers have been demanding that the government revise the weight norms to 30 kg per bag instead of the current norm of 35 kg per bag.

Farmers have argued that due to deficient monsoon, they were unable to adequately irrigate groundnut crop.

Due to lack of proper irrigation, nuts didn't develop properly, resulting in their lower weight, they have said.

Patel said his government has been buying groundnut from farmers even if its weight is 30 kg per bag.

Gujarat State Civil Supplies Corporation Ltd (GSCSCL) is acting as the nodal agency for groundnut procurement.

GSCSCL is procuring groundnut on behalf of National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd, a cooperative body that has been made the nodal agency by the central government for such procurements.

GSCSCL has set up 122 centres for procuring groundnut at effective minimum support price of Rs 5,000 per quintal.