BHOPAL: Ongoing protests by Moong farmers of central Madhya Pradesh, which reached the state capital Bhopal on Tuesday evening, is likely to end totally in the next few hours – as the state government, in a late Wednesday night development, announced procuring 60% of farmers' Moong crop at the minimum support price (MSP).
Following the Wednesday evening meeting between representatives of 16 farmers outfits and the ministerial group created earlier in the day by CM Dr Mohan Yadav, the state government took an important decision that, instead of procuring only 25% of each eligible farmer's moong crop at MSP, it will now procure 60% produce, which amounts to approximately 3 quintals per acre in districts such as Narmadapuram, Sehore, and Harda.
“This decision will take effect immediately, and efforts will be made to ensure that the maximum number of farmers benefit from it,” state’s Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare minister Aidal Singh Kansana announced.
Further, it was announced that for the convenience of farmers, the government has also decided to extend the procurement slot booking period by 10 days. Farmers will now be able to book slots until August 10 instead of the earlier July 30 date. Similarly, the last date for procurement has been extended from August 10 to August 20.
“This year, the central government has approved procurement of 4,52,000 metric tonnes of summer moong for Madhya Pradesh. Under the Government of India's price support scheme, there is a provision to procure a maximum of 25% of the state's total production. In accordance with this rule of the central government, it had earlier been decided that 25% of the moong produce of farmers in the state would be procured at the Minimum Support Price (MSP),” Kansana added.
Regarding the complaints and practical issues related to the e-token system implemented for fertiliser distribution, he said that this system is an important reform by the state government and will provide significant convenience and benefits to farmers in the future. A committee will be formed to improve the e-token system.
“Since this is a new system, and considering the issues that have emerged at the initial stage, the Chief Minister has decided to constitute a high-level committee under the chairmanship of the Agriculture Production Commissioner. This committee will examine all issues related to the e-token system and submit its recommendations to the state government. Necessary improvements will be implemented immediately based on the committee's recommendations. Until the suggestions are received and the improvements are made, the fertiliser distribution system through e-tokens is suspended with immediate effect,” Kansana said.
Following the late-night development, while most protesting farmers have ended their stir, some youngsters representing Gen Z are still seated at the Roshanpura Crossing in Bhopal, despite the police appealing to them to return to their homes.
Earlier in the day, the CM constituted a four-member ministerial group for holding talks with the farmers, who had marched into Bhopal on Tuesday evening from adjoining central MP districts.
Importantly, Kisan Kranti Yatra, which started from Narmadapuram district on Monday and was stopped at Bhopal’s Veer Savarkar Setu by the police since Tuesday evening, breached the multi-layered police barricades and moved into the heart of the Madhya Pradesh capital Bhopal on Wednesday evening.
Farmers from multiple central MP districts, including Narmadapuram, Raisen, Harda and Sehore, rode tractors and marched in large numbers through the streets of Bhopal, as part of their march to the CM’s residence.
While marching towards the CM’s residence, the protestors took a pause outside ‘Mama Ka Ghar’ – the residence of Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and raised slogans against the former MP CM, over non procurement of cent per cent Moong crop by the government at Minimum Support Price.
The protestors outside Chouhan’s residence also included a large number of young farmers from parts of Budhni assembly constituency – Chouhan’s pocket-borough, which is among the assembly segments forming part of the union agriculture minister’s Vidisha Lok Sabha constituency.
The heavy police force deployment at Chouhan’s residence, however, ensured that nothing untoward happened outside the ex-MP CM’s residence.
Farmers from various central MP districts who have marched to Bhopal in support of two main demands – government purchase of cent per cent Moong crop at Rs 8,780 per quintal MSP and ending e-token based fertilizer distribution system – largely accused the MP CM Dr Mohan Yadav of neglecting the demands and concerns of the farmers, who have been protesting at local tehsils for many days.
“We were promised that the CM will meet representatives of various farmers' outfits on July 25, but he didn’t meet our representatives either on July 25 or July 26, as he was busy campaigning for the July 30 Datia assembly by-election. When he didn’t meet our representatives on July 25 and 26, we were forced to start the Kisan Kranti March from Narmadapuram on July 27 and reached Bhopal on July 28. The government used to promise building roads to our farms to lower the transportation cost of harvested crops, but actually the government has forced us to come on roads for our rights,” said a young farmer leader Vijay Malviya from Narmadapuram district.
Owing to the ongoing protests and Gen Z also joining the stir, authorities in Bhopal had ordered the closure of all schools located on the Hoshangabad Road till further orders.
With the farmers marching till Roshanpura crossing – 1.8 km from the CM’s residence – the committee of ministers along with senior government officials, started dialogue with representatives of 16 farmers outfits, including the RSS-affiliated Bharatiya Kisan Sangh (BKS).
The committee of ministers included Agriculture Minister Aidal Singh Kansana, Sports and Cooperatives Minister Vishwas Sarang, PWD minister Rakesh Singh and minister of state Krishna Gaur.
Meanwhile, responding to Aidal Singh Kansana’s letter on the issue, Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan wrote to MP CM Dr Mohan Yadav on Wednesday, “that under the PM-AASHA scheme, the centre’s price support scheme (PSS) guidelines provide an approval only up to the 25% limit for procurement.”
“For the summer season 2025–26, procurement of up to 454,580 metric tonnes of moong, which is the maximum limit based on the estimated production, has already been approved for Madhya Pradesh under the Price Support Scheme. Out of the total approved quantity of 523,243 metric tonnes of moong sanctioned by this department for procurement across various states during this season, 87% or 454,580 metric tonnes, has been allocated to Madhya Pradesh, which is the highest in the country,” Chouhan mentioned in the letter.
"The Central Government grants approval for moong procurement from states only under the PM-AASHA Scheme. The scheme clearly states that the Central Government can procure only up to 25% under the scheme. Any additional procurement has to be undertaken by the states. Initially, approval for procurement under PSS shall be granted up to 25% of the state's production. However, additional quantities within the 25% window of the commodity's all-India production shall be permitted only after procurement of 25% of the state's production by the Central Nodal Agencies in the concerned state is completed. The examination and decision regarding procurement of additional quantities up to 25% of the commodity's all-India production shall be made by the Committee of Secretaries (CoS),” Chouhan stated.
Chouhan further mentioned in the letter, “According to the data received by the Central Government as of July 29, 2026, approximately 60,000 metric tonnes of moong has been procured in the state. Therefore, keeping in view the larger interest of the farmers, the state government is requested to ensure that the procurement of moong is expedited at the earliest.”
While the talks between the government and farmers outfits were continuing in Bhopal, veteran farmer leader and head of Rashtriya Kisan Mazdoor Sangh (RKMS) outfit Shiv Kumar Sharma ‘Kakkaji’, who was the face of farmers movement in the state in 2017, stated in Bhopal, “If the government doesn’t fulfil the twin demands of farmers, then a statewide peaceful Satyagraha will start from Khalghat (Dhar) on Thursday.”