Madhya Pradesh Brings Paddy Under Bhavantar Scheme, Boosts Millet Push

Madhya Pradesh has added paddy to the list of crops covered under its Bhavantar Bhugtan Yojana, a scheme that compensates farmers when market prices fall below the Minimum Support Price. Chief Minister Dr. Mohan Yadav made the announcement at the state-level Paddy Festival held at the Seoni district headquarters.

The scheme, which already covers soybean growers in the state, will now extend the same price-gap compensation mechanism to paddy cultivators. For farmers who have long been exposed to market volatility during the kharif harvest season, the move provides a formal financial buffer beyond the reach of physical government procurement operations.

Dr. Yadav used the occasion to call on farmers to move beyond dependence on a single crop, urging them to complement paddy and wheat cultivation with livestock rearing and fisheries as additional income streams.

Citing the impact of El Niño on this year's monsoon, Chief Minister Yadav cautioned farmers to prepare for below-normal rainfall and consider shifting part of their acreage to drought-tolerant crops such as kodo and kutki millets, which are better suited to MP's rain-shadow and tribal farming belts.

To back up that advisory with financial muscle, Dr. Yadav directly transferred ₹2.84 crore into the bank accounts of 3,941 farmers as a bonus of ₹1,000 per quintal for kodo and kutki under the Rani Durgavati Shree Anna Incentive Scheme — the state's flagship millet promotion programme.

Notably, the state has for the first time launched a government procurement campaign specifically for kodo and kutki, addressing a longstanding gap where farmers grew these crops without any assured offtake mechanism. The government is also providing MSP support alongside the bonus incentive for millet growers.

Madhya Pradesh is building an end-to-end value chain for its indigenous millets under the Rani Durgavati Shree Anna Incentive Scheme, covering processing, packaging, branding and marketing infrastructure to improve farmers' market access.

Three varieties have already earned Geographical Indication (GI) tags: Sitahi Kutki and Nagadaman Kutki from Dindori district, and Purple Pigeon Pea (Baingani Arhar). GI recognition provides a quality signal that is increasingly valued in premium domestic and international food markets.

Through the 'Narmada Millets' brand, the state government aims to position MP's millet produce in both national and global markets. Efforts are also underway to strengthen branding and packaging infrastructure so that value addition happens within the state rather than being captured downstream.

On the procurement front, Dr. Yadav highlighted that Madhya Pradesh set a new record this season by purchasing 10.4 million metric tonnes of wheat from more than 1.346 million farmers at ₹2,625 per quintal.

The figure underscores MP's growing weight as a wheat-surplus state and the scale at which government procurement is operating. The Chief Minister also noted that soybean growers — the state's dominant oilseed crop community — have been beneficiaries of the Bhavantar Scheme, providing context for why extending the model to paddy is a logical next step.

On the input side, Dr. Yadav said the government is using the Agritech system to crack down on irregularities in fertiliser distribution, with all district collectors directed to ensure uninterrupted supply to farmers.

Beyond crop-specific announcements, the Chief Minister outlined a broader rural support agenda. Under the Viksit Bharat G-RAM-G Scheme — described as a revamped version of MGNREGA — various development programmes will be rolled out across MP villages, with the stated aim of ensuring farmers and rural job seekers do not face employment-related hardship.

A large number of Amrit Sarovars (water conservation ponds) will be constructed in villages as part of this initiative — a particularly relevant measure given the El Niño-linked rainfall risk flagged by the Chief Minister.

In a direct relief measure for farm households, Dr. Yadav announced that during the Farmer Welfare Year, farmers will be able to obtain a new electricity connection for just ₹5 — a sharp reduction from standard connection costs that could meaningfully improve access to irrigation and agri-processing equipment in rural areas.