CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu government will procure 4,625 tonnes of green gram at Rs 69.75 per kg in September and October. The procurement will be made through the National Cooperative Marketing Federation at the regulated markets in all districts.
This will benefit the farmers since the market price of green gram ranges from Rs 50 to Rs 55. An official release here said the procurement price would be credited to the account of farmers directly. During 2017-18, it was decided to procure 3,000 tonnes of urad dhall and 1,550 tonnes of urad dhall was procured at Rs 54 per kg while the market price was Rs 47 per kg.
The normal acreage of green gram in Tamil Nadu is 4.673 lakh acres with a production of 1.17 lakh tonnes. This pulse is cultivated mainly in Salem, Namakkal, Thoothukudi, Nagapattinam, Tiruvarur, Tiruvallur, Cuddalore, Virudhnagar, Madurai, Vellore, Tirupur and Dharmapuri.
Black gram is grown in a area of 4.673 lakh acres in Salem, Namakkal, Thoothukudi, Nagapattinam, Tiruvarur, Tiruvallur, Cuddalore, Virudhnagar, Madurai, Vellore, Tiruppur and Dharmapuri. The annual production is 2.427 lakh tonnes, a top official said.