The purchase of groundnuts at Minimum Support Price (MSP) formally started from Thursday across the state. On the first day itself, 2820 farmers sold more than 39,000 quintals of groundnuts at MSP which equals to an amount of more than Rs.19 crores. Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel said that the government ensured proper planning and management maintaining transparency in purchase of groundnuts from farmers. Addressing media persons, he said, "The government had informed 4,700 registered farmers for sale of their groundnut through SMS on first day and around 2,800 of them turned up. The process remained totally smooth and transparent at across 122 purchase centres raised in state through civil supplies department." "We have also ensured that no farmer should return without selling their groundnut. If the markets were forced to remain open till late night, they will operate until the last farmer sells his produce," Patel added. The Food and Civil Supplies Department has been acting as a nodal agency in co-operation with NAFED of the Central Government for purchase of groundnuts. The production of groundnuts across the state this year is 26.92 lakh metric tons. The price of groundnuts as announced by the Central Government is Rs. 4890 per quintal. The state government has declared bonus of of Rs.110 per quintal above that. RS 19-CRORE PURCHASE

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