The Government of India has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting farmers and ensuring food security by extending the Pradhan Mantri Annadata Aay Sanrakshan Abhiyan (PM-AASHA) scheme until 2025-26. Furthermore, the government has increased pulses procurement to incentivize domestic production and reduce import dependence. A press release on this development was issued on March 13, 2025.
The integrated PM-AASHA scheme, approved for continuation during the 15th Finance Commission Cycle, aims to:
- Provide remunerative prices to farmers for their produce.
- Control price volatility of essential commodities.
- Ensure availability of affordable prices to consumers.
To boost domestic pulses production and reduce reliance on imports, the government has:
- Approved the procurement of Tur, Urad, and Masur under the Price Support Scheme (PSS) equivalent to 100% of the state’s production for the procurement year 2024-25.
- Announced in Budget 2025 that this 100% procurement will continue for another four years, up to 2028-29, through Central Nodal Agencies (CNAs).
Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan has approved the procurement of:
- 13.22 Lakh Metric Tons (LMT) of Tur (Arhar).
- 9.40 LMT of Masur.
- 1.35 LMT of Urad.
Specifically, the procurement of Tur (Arhar) has been approved in the states of Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Telangana, and Uttar Pradesh under the PSS for the Kharif 2024-25 season, totaling 13.22 LMT.
Procurement has commenced in Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Karnataka, Maharashtra, and Telangana. As of March 11, 2025, 1.31 LMT of Tur (Arhar) has been procured, benefiting 89,219 farmers. Procurement in other states will begin shortly.
Tur procurement is done through the eSamridhi portal of NAFED and the aSamyukti portal of NCCF, from pre-registered farmers.
