Lucknow: Farmers cultivating ‘Shri Ann’ (millets) across Uttar Pradesh have shown a clear preference for government procurement over open market sales during the Kharif Marketing Year (KMY) 2025–26, reflecting growing trust in the state’s transparent procurement system. The year witnessed record purchases of millets, including bajra, jowar, and maize, surpassing figures from the previous season, with farmers also receiving higher overall payments.
According to official data, the Yogi Adityanath-led government completed the procurement process that began on October 1, achieving higher volumes across all three crops. Bajra procurement stood at 2.13 lakh metric tonnes, jowar at 43,562 metric tonnes, and maize at 13,209 metric tonnes, marking a significant increase over last year’s figures.
Procurement was carried out at Minimum Support Prices (MSP) fixed by the government—Rs 3,749 per quintal for jowar (Maldandi), Rs 3,699 per quintal for jowar (Hybrid), Rs 2,775 per quintal for bajra, and Rs 2,400 per quintal for maize.
Bajra Procurement Sets New Benchmark
Bajra procurement was conducted across 33 districts during 2025–26. As many as 90,513 farmers registered, out of which 54,253 farmers sold 2.13 lakh metric tonnes, receiving a total payment of Rs 598.04 crore.
In comparison, during 2024–25, only 1.01 lakh metric tonnes were procured from 19,030 farmers, with payments amounting to approximately Rs 268 crore, highlighting a sharp year-on-year rise.
Jowar Procurement Across 11 Districts
Jowar procurement took place in 11 districts, with 20,307 farmers registered. Of these, 13,454 farmers sold 43,562 metric tonnes, and payments of around Rs 162 crore were made directly to farmers’ accounts.
Maize Procurement in 25 Districts
Maize procurement was carried out in 25 districts, where 7,106 farmers registered. Procurement from 3,445 farmers totalled 13,209 metric tonnes, and payments worth Rs 31.96 crore were disbursed.
The 25 districts where maize procurement took place include Badaun, Bulandshahr, Hardoi, Unnao, Mainpuri, Agra, Firozabad, Aligarh, Etah, Kasganj, Hathras, Kanpur Nagar and Dehat, Kannauj, Auraiya, Etawah, Bahraich, Gonda, Ballia, Jaunpur, Farrukhabad, Mirzapur, Sonbhadra, Deoria, and Lalitpur.
Wide Coverage for Bajra and Jowar
Bajra procurement covered 33 districts, including Agra, Mathura, Bareilly, Shahjahanpur, Rampur, Amroha, Prayagraj, Fatehpur, Kaushambi, Ghazipur, Mirzapur, Ballia, Hardoi, and Unnao, among others.
Jowar procurement was undertaken in districts such as Banda, Chitrakoot, Hamirpur, Mahoba, Kanpur Nagar and Dehat, Fatehpur, Unnao, Hardoi, Mirzapur, and Jalaun.
Officials attribute the increased procurement to transparent processes, timely payments, and assured MSP, which encouraged farmers to opt for government channels. The strong procurement performance underlines the state government’s push to promote millets as ‘Shri Ann’, strengthening farmer income while supporting nutritional and sustainable agriculture goals.
