Ahead of Diwali, Madhya Pradesh approves proposals targeting soybean, millet farmers and pensioners

The decision was long-awaited, particularly in the state which accounts for almost 60 per cent of the country’s soybean production, and has seen steep decline in soybean prices, due to excess supply and inclement weather.In another key decision, the state cabinet decided to procure kodo and kutki (millets) from farmers in major millet-producing districts for the first time, benefiting a large number of tribal farmers. Under the ‘Rani Durgavati Shree-Ann Protsahan Yojana’, procurement of Kodo and Kutki will be undertaken from farmers in the leading production districts Jabalpur, Katni, Mandla, Dindori, Chhindwara, Shahdol, Anuppur, Umaria, Rewa, Sidhi, and Singrauli. Based on demand, procurement from farmers of other districts will also be considered.Procurement will be carried out by Shree Ann Consortium of Farmer-Producer Company Limited (Shree Ann Federation). For Kharif season 2025, approximately 30,000 metric tons of millet Kutki at Rs 3,500 per quintal and Kodo at Rs 2,500 per quintal will be procured. The Federation will receive an interest-free loan of Rs 80 crore from the State’s Price Stabilisation Fund. Additionally, an incentive of Rs 1,000 per quintal will be directly transferred (DBT) to the bank accounts of eligible farmers.Further, the cabinet also approved a proposal to increase the dearness relief (DR) payable to pensioners in the state and family pensioners by 2 per cent. Around 4.5 lakh pensioners will benefit from the decision. This increase will result in an additional financial burden of approximately Rs 170 crore on the state exchequer for the current financial year. The decision aligns with the communication from the Government of Chhattisgarh dated August 25, 2025.



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