The soybean cultivation in Junnar suffered significant damage because of excessive and untimely rainfall. Moisture retention in fields and a prolonged monsoon caused heavy loss to the crop, severely impacting quality and yield. The situation worsened in the post-harvest period. Delayed drying led to higher moisture content, further reducing the market value of the commodity.To safeguard farmers from distress sales, local representatives and cultivators demanded Nafed’s intervention. The MSP procurement centre opened in Narayangaon on Nov 28. Thereafter, farmers began delivering their produce in large numbers.Officials said private buyers were offering fluctuating rates, often between Rs3,500 and Rs4,000 per quintal, during the Diwali trading period. The MSP, therefore, came as a major financial assurance for soyabean-growing households across the taluka.According to officials at the Junnar Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC), the procurement turnover so far is over Rs37 lakh in the region. Payments for the produce are transferred directly to farmers’ bank accounts within three working days of the sale, ensuring transparency and timely financial support.The committee’s chairman, Sanjay Kale Kamble, confirmed that the process was being conducted smoothly and farmers were receiving remunerative rates for their harvest. Market committee officials said soyabean procurement operations would continue and farmers had been encouraged to register through online and offline modes. The APMC also facilitated cellphone-based updates to keep growers informed about the daily procurement schedule, added Kamble.Nafed’s intervention provided stability during a challenging agricultural season to many cultivators in the region, said officials. Farmers, on the other hand, said the centre should have started two months ago.“Several small-time farmers in financial trouble sold their harvest at lower rates. Some of them felt that the centre would never start and sold their produce to private traders,” said soyabean grower Akshay Devkar.“Many farmers said the weight of their stored harvest reduced in the past few months and it was a loss for the farmers. We didn’t understand why the authorities started the centre late by two to three months,” said a section of growers.
