State government procures superfood quinoa at ₹5,000 per quintal

After introducing Quinoa as a new cash crop in Rajasthan due to its high commercial value, the state government has so far purchased 150 quintals of the crop from farmers.

Quinoa, whose seeds mini kit, were distributed to farmers of 13 districts of Rajasthan in the financial year 2017-18, with the intension of promoting this crop among farmers to boost their income, is now being bought back from the farmers on Minimum Support Price (MSP) of Rs 5,000 per quintals.

Farmers had trouble selling the crop even after its cultivation, so now Rajasthan State Seeds Corporation would buy back Quinoa raw seeds from those farmers who had taken the mini kits.

As per official figures of agriculture department, Quinoa has been cultivated in 13 districts of Rajasthan including Chittor, Udaipur, Banswara, Bhilwara, Pratapgarh, Tonk, Bundi, Kota, Jhalawar, Baran, Sirohi and Jalore.

Agriculture minister, Rajasthan, Prabhulal Saini said that Quinoa has been cultivated across 3,000 hectare of area and the total production is around 30,000 quintals.

“Either maximum of two quintals of quinoa raw seeds or the entire raw seeds produced from the mini kit, whichever is lesser, is being purchased from the farmers,” Saini said.

“So far, the government purchase of around 150 quintals of Quinoa has been made from Sirohi, Chittorgarh and Udaipur district,” he said.

He said that the government purchase of Quinoa from the remaining districts will continue till June 30 and a total of 580 quintals will be bought under government purchase.

“Once 580 quintals are bought, another 500 quintals will be bought in the next phases as per the Memorandum of Understanding with a private company,” he said.

Cultivators of Hadauti region and other districts have been asked to bring their raw seeds to the nearest purchase centres of Rajasthan State Seeds Corporation Limited, Saini said.

The list of farmers who had taken mini kits of quinoa is being taken from the agriculture department.

Quinoa is a South American variety, which is a diabetic friendly and anti-oxidant rich crop.