In a major relief to farmers, the Madhya Pradesh government has extended the deadline for slot bookings for wheat procurement for the 2026-27 Rabi marketing season to May 23.

Chief Minister Mohan Yadav on Monday announced the two-week extension from the previous May 9 cutoff to ensure no cultivator is left out of the support price scheme, an official said.

As of May 2, the state government has procured 34.73 metric tonnes (MT) of wheat from cultivators, he said.

Approximately Rs 600 crore has been approved under the Price Support Scheme for 2026, the official said, adding that the procurement period for chickpea and lentils was scheduled from March 30 to May 28.

He said that the government has set the procurement target of 6.49 lakh MT for chickpea and 6.01 lakh MT for lentils, while a proposal for 1.31 lakh MT for pigeon pea has been submitted to the Centre.

The chief minister has stated that payment for procured produce is being transferred to farmers' accounts.

Moreover, to ensure the safety of farmers' produce, storage capacity of around 3.55 lakh MT has been created under the Foodgrain Storage Scheme, he said.

Modern warehouses with a capacity of 1.5 lakh MT are being constructed under the Material Storage Scheme, of which registration for warehouses with a capacity of 1.1 lakh MT has been completed.

Yadav also noted that through the e-Vikas and e-Kisan systems, farmers receive information on all schemes, market prices, weather, and technical advice on their mobile phones.

Under the e-Kisan system, implemented in all districts of the state from April 1, every farmer is being given a unique ID containing a complete digital record of their land and crops.

Each farm is being geo-tagged through the Kisan Registry, which will facilitate crop insurance, damage assessment, and drone spraying, the official said.

Yadav also said that Madhya Pradesh is a leader in natural farming both nationally and globally, with over 53 lakh hectares under cultivation, and more than 6,000 clusters established.

Under the national-level modern farming system, more than 1,000 agricultural drone operators have been trained to spray organic pesticides, he said.

Production costs are being reduced by promoting artificial intelligence and digital agriculture, he said.

Yadav said that the "Farmer Welfare Year" is not just a one-year campaign, but a pledge to transform the state and direction of agriculture.

Published on May 5, 2026