Rajasthan farmers are selling mung below MSP due to delayed government procurement

Since September 1, around 63,000 tonnes of the harvest have arrived in the state of Rajasthan, which is the leading producer of mung bean (green gram) in the Kharif season. By comparison, according to official data, supplies for the period from September 1 to 18 stood at 6,451 tonnes in 2025, and 7,574 tonnes in 2024. Despite the high volumes, farmers are receiving an average of 7,452 rupees per quintal, which is 15% lower than the government-set minimum support price (MSP) of 8,780 rupees per quintal.

According to the Agmarknet portal, at the beginning of the month the average price at mandis in Rajasthan was about 7,000 rupees per quintal, and by September 17 it had risen to 7,960 rupees per quintal. Some experts view the current price level as acceptable given the record increase in arrivals of the crop compared to the two previous seasons. At the same time, the government approved a minimal increase in the MSP for mung bean for the 2026–27 season — of just 0.1 percent (or 12 rupees per quintal), which became the smallest increase among all Kharif crops.

Kisan Mahapanchayat President Rampal Jat criticized the existing procurement scheme, pointing out the authorities' failure to ensure the sale of the harvest at the official benchmark. According to him, farmers are suffering losses ranging from 1,280 to 3,200 rupees per quintal, and due to the delayed start of procurement they have missed out on up to 14.4 million rupees in additional income. He suggested making procurement automatic — similar to how FCI procures wheat and rice — without the need to wait for requests from state authorities, or giving regions independence in determining procurement dates and volumes. Additional pressure on the market, in his opinion, is being exerted by the cooperative agency Nafed, which is selling old stocks of mung bean at 6,500 rupees per quintal.

For the current season, the target area for mung bean in the state was planned at 26.50 lakh hectares, but actual sowing ended at 23.17 lakh hectares, which is 13% below the plan. Sowing of the local moth bean variety also failed to reach the target of 10 lakh hectares and amounted to 9.12 lakh hectares. In the Kharif 2025 season, mung bean production in Rajasthan was 13.89 lakh tonnes, accounting for 72% of the national total. Association leaders are considering holding awareness campaigns, similar to the mustard campaign, and plan to persuade growers to switch to more profitable alternative crops or reduce sowing areas in the next season to improve price indicators.