Madhya Pradesh Hikes Moong MSP Procurement to 60%, Farmers End Bhopal Agitation

Farmers gathered under the Samyukta Kisan Morcha banner alongside 18 other organisations descended on Bhopal on Wednesday, July 30, breaching multiple police barricades and staging demonstrations outside the residence of Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan. The protesters subsequently marched to within approximately one kilometre of Chief Minister Mohan Yadav's home before halting at Roshanpura Square.

The agitation had already disrupted traffic on the busy Narmadapuram Road since Tuesday night, after an earlier round of government talks collapsed without resolution. The farmers' core demands were threefold:

• Full MSP procurement of 100% of the summer moong crop
• Abolition of the e-token system for fertiliser distribution
• Timely and adequate fertiliser supply ahead of the next sowing season

The scale and visibility of the protest — camped on a major arterial road and approaching the Chief Minister's home — ultimately forced the state government to initiate a fresh round of negotiations at the state secretariat.

Following talks at the state secretariat, the Madhya Pradesh government announced a package of three concessions.

Procurement hike: The share of moong eligible for MSP procurement per farmer was raised from the existing 25% to 60% of their crop. The decision takes immediate effect in districts such as Narmadapuram, Sehore, and Harda — where farmers typically produce around three quintals of moong per acre — and the state said it would endeavour to extend coverage to the maximum number of cultivators.

Deadline extension: The last date for procurement was pushed from August 10 to August 20, while the slot-booking deadline was extended from July 30 to August 10.

E-token suspension: State Agriculture Minister Aidal Singh Kansana announced that a committee would be formed to examine grievances around the e-token fertiliser distribution system. Critically, the system will remain suspended with immediate effect until the committee submits its recommendations and corrective changes are implemented.

Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan wrote to Chief Minister Mohan Yadav clarifying the Centre's stance on procurement limits. According to the letter, the Centre had already approved the purchase of up to 4,54,580 metric tonnes of summer moong for Madhya Pradesh under the Price Support Scheme for the 2025-26 season — representing 87% of the total quantity approved nationwide under the PM-AASHA scheme.

Chouhan underscored, however, that the Centre does not prescribe state-level procurement targets, and that any procurement beyond the scheme's prescribed limit must be financed by the state government itself.

This distinction is significant: it means that while MP enjoys an outsized share of the national PM-AASHA allocation, the political promise of 60% per-farmer procurement — if it pushes volumes beyond the sanctioned cap — will translate into a direct fiscal commitment from the state exchequer rather than a centrally funded exercise.

The government's announcements initially drew a cautious response from some farmer leaders, who maintained their original demand for 100% MSP procurement and said a final decision would be taken after wider stakeholder consultations.

Within hours, however, Prateek Sharma, state coordinator of the Rashtravadi Kisan Army, told PTI Video that farmers were satisfied with the government's decisions and that all participating organisations had jointly agreed to end the agitation.

Additional Superintendent of Police Shailendra Singh Chouhan confirmed to PTI that the protesting farmers had accepted the government's announcements and were dispersing. He added that the administration had arranged buses to ensure their safe return from Roshanpura Square — bringing a two-day standoff on one of Bhopal's busiest roads to a close.