The peanut harvest has begun across Gujarat. Markets are already flooded, with farmers forced to sell their crop at ₹900&ndash;₹1200 per maund, far below the government&rsquo;s Minimum Support Price (MSP) of ₹1450. Yet, the grand question remains&mdash;when will the government buy? Or is the &ldquo;auspicious muhurat&rdquo; still awaited?
Two months ago, the state proudly announced MSP rates and opened online registrations. Nearly 9.31 lakh farmers rushed to sign up. Then came the infamous digital survey&mdash;an exercise that magically cancelled 80,000 registrations. Like the old proverb says, &ldquo;the innocent burn with the guilty.&rdquo; Genuine farmers found themselves struck off the list, with no second chance. Their only option now? Sell cheap in the open market, while government officials polish their files.
Last year, the government boasted of purchasing 10 lakh metric tonnes of peanuts, spending ₹6,700 crore. This year&rsquo;s expected production is around 66 lakh metric tonnes. By its own declaration, the state should procure 25%&mdash;about 16.5 lakh metric tonnes. Yet, silence reigns. Perhaps everyone is waiting for a VVIP from Delhi to inaugurate procurement with a ribbon-cutting ceremony?
The Union Agriculture Minister has already promised Gujarat 12.5 lakh metric tonnes of procurement. But will the state keep its own word, or simply hide behind press releases and podiums? Meanwhile, unseasonal rains have damaged crops for some farmers, but that hardly appears on the government&rsquo;s radar.
The truth is brutally simple. Farmers&rsquo; organisations in Gujarat are weak, divided, and unable to raise the kind of storm that shakes governments. Where there is no corporate interest, there is no urgency. For investors and industrialists, there are investment summits with red carpets and floodlights. For farmers, there is just a locked warehouse and the promise of &ldquo;soon.&rdquo;
So, is MSP procurement a scheme for farmers or merely a logistical puzzle for bureaucrats? While farmers stare helplessly at plummeting prices, the government stares lovingly at its treasury, saving money for big ads and bigger promises. Peanuts, it seems, are meant to be symbolic&mdash;for both the farmers&rsquo; earnings and the government&rsquo;s seriousness.

Farmers sell cheap while MSP announced—still no date for procurement

Farmers Suffer Low Prices as Gujarat Govt Awaits ‘Good Omen’ for MSP Peanuts

Farmers sell cheap while MSP announced—still no date for procurement

September 30, 2025 | 15:43 IST