In a first for the agri-procurement mechanism in the country, the Gujarat government plans to make videography and CCTV monitoring mandatory for the procurement of agricultural produces through State agencies.

According to top government sources, the State, which is currently procuring tur and groundnut under the price support scheme at the minimum support price (MSP) level, will videograph the entire process at all the procurement centres and install CCTVs at all the warehouses to keep a close vigil on the commodities.

Ensuring fair practice

“This is going to be a big booster for the farmers’ confidence as it will ensure fair practices. After online registration and fund transfer through Aadhar-linked bank accounts, now videography of the procurement process will discourage illegal activities and unfair practices,” said Bhagavandas Patel, Director, Gujarat State Warehousing Corporation (GSWC).

According to top government officials, initially, the videography will be done for the current procurement that is being done for 1 lakh tonnes of groundnut and 1.2 lakh tonnes of tur (pigeon pea) beginning first week of March.

“We will also conduct videogrpahy of the samples, to help in monitoring of right quality. Although we are being careful in current practices, we want to be extra careful. In immediate basis, CCTVs will be installed at the warehouses where the immediate unloading is taking place, and in due course other warehouses will also be covered,” said a senior State government official.

The State is preparing itself for a mammoth task of procuring record groundnut at about 9 lakh tonnes after witnessing record crop of 32 lakh tonnes in the kharif 2017-18.

Warehousing

However, Patel informed that nearly 60 per cent of the stored tur of previous year has already been sold to the mills and there is excess capacity with the warehouses to store additional 1.2 lakh tonnes of tur as announced by the government.

The GSWC has about 980 warehouses under its fold, while close to 200 are under Gujarat State Co-Operative Cotton Federation Limited (GujCot).

The State government is encouraging private warehouse developers to create new capacities.

Currently, a private warehouse charges anywhere between ₹6 and ₹11 per sq ft as rent.

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