Cooperation Minister Amit Shah on Thursday inaugurated a tur dal procurement portal through which farmers can register and sell their produce to NAFED and NCCF at a minimum support price or market price.

A similar facility will be launched in future for urad and masoor farmers as well as maize farmers, he said.

The minister also transferred via Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) about Rs 68 lakh to 25 farmers towards payment for sale of tur via the portal.

Cooperative National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd (NAFED) and National Cooperative Consumers’ Federation of India Limited (NCCF) undertake procurement of pulses on behalf of the government’s in order to maintain a buffer stock.

After the launch, the Minister said before the sowing operation, tur farmers can register on the portal to sell their produce to NAFED and NCCF at minimum support price (MSP).

The registered tur farmers will have an option to sell to either NAFED/NCCF or open market, he said and added suppose the open market price of tur remains higher than the MSP, in that case an average rate will be arrived through a formula.

Shah further said more farmers were not taking up pulses farming as prices were not assured. With procurement via the portal, the initiative will bring a major reform in the agriculture sector and help achieve self-reliance in pulses production.