Gandhinagar, Oct 4 (IANS) The Gujarat government has extended by 15 days the deadline for farmers to register to sell groundnut, moong, soybean and urad at the Minimum Support Price (MSP), while also opening the ‘i-Khedut’ portal for applications for certified seeds and other Rabi season benefits.
Agriculture Minister Jitu Vaghani said on Sunday that the registration deadline for procurement of Kharif crops at MSP, which was earlier set for October 9, has now been extended to October 24, following representations from Members of Parliament, MLAs and farmer representatives.
Under the extended schedule, farmers across the state can complete online registration to sell groundnut, moong, soybean and urad under the MSP procurement process until October 24.
The Minister said the decision was taken after considering the representations received from elected representatives and farmer groups.
Meanwhile, the Agriculture Department has opened the i-Khedut portal from October 4 to 15 to enable farmers to apply for benefits relating to certified seeds, seed mini kits and demonstration components for the upcoming Rabi season.
Farmers can submit applications online through the portal during the 12-day registration window, the department said.
Vaghani appealed to farmers across Gujarat to complete their applications for the various government schemes through the i-Khedut portal within the stipulated period and make use of the extended registration window for MSP procurement.
The two decisions come ahead of the Rabi season and amid the ongoing process for procurement of Kharif crops at MSP in the state.
Gujarat’s ‘i-Khedut’ portal serves as a single-window platform for farmers to access several agriculture-related government schemes online. The Centre had allocated 4,500 seed kits to Gujarat under the Rabi 2025-26 programme.
Vaghani urged farmers growing groundnut, moong, urad and soybean to complete their registration within the stipulated period and take maximum benefit of the procurement scheme.
Farmers registering for MSP procurement were advised to ensure their bank accounts are active and Aadhaar-linked, as payments for procured produce are to be made directly through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT).
The state also emphasised including all eligible land survey numbers in the Farmer Registry.
–IANS
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