Tamil Nadu government urges Centre to raise green gram procurement, clear copra purchase proposal

CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu government on Thursday urged the Centre to increase the procurement limit for green gram and grant approval for copra procurement under the Price Support Scheme (PSS).

The request was made by State Agriculture - Farmers Welfare Minister R Vinoth during a virtual meeting chaired by Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan to review procurement under the scheme.

During the meeting, Vinoth sought immediate approval for the State government's proposal on copra procurement. He also requested the Centre to enhance the quantity of green gram that can be procured under the scheme to support farmers and ensure better market intervention.

The discussions focused on procurement of pulses and copra under the Price Support Scheme, which is implemented to protect farmers from distress sales when market prices fall below the Minimum Support Price (MSP).

Senior officials from states participated in the review meeting convened by the Union Agriculture Ministry. Agriculture Production Commissioner and Government Secretary P Sankar attended the meeting on behalf of Tamil Nadu.

The State government said it had submitted its proposal for copra procurement and sought an early clearance from the Centre while pressing for a higher procurement allocation for green gram.