Bhopal, 30 July 2026: High-profile movement of mung farmers released from the last three days in Bhopal, the capital of Madhya Pradesh ended on Wednesday late night. Thousands of farmers under the banner of the Joint Farmer Front had encircled the capital, which has been removed after successful negotiations with the government. In the long-term interaction between the Minister’s group and the farmer representatives constituted by Chief Minister Mohan Yadav, the Government has accepted the demand for raising the procurement range of Mung from 25% of production and suspending the disputed E-Token Fertilizer System with immediate effect.
Root of crisis: bumper yields and limited purchases
The main cause of this protest was the big difference between records yields and rules of government purchases. The farmers have produced a bumper harvest of about 5 quintal mungs per acre this year, but the purchase under the PM-Asha (PM-AASHA) scheme of the central government was limited to only 1.25 quintal per acre. Open market prices ₹6,500 per quintal fell, while the minimum support value set by the government (MSP) ₹8,682 was per quintal. Due to this big difference, farmers were losing huge financial losses. In addition, technical imperfections and poor internet connectivity in the new ‘e-Token’ arrangement launched for fertilizer distribution further enhanced the resentment of farmers.
Ground reality and major sounds
‘Kisan Revolution Yatra’, started from districts like Narmadapuram, Sihor and Harda, had completely stalled the traffic on Hoshangabad Road, Bhopal. The protesting farmers tried to move towards the Chief Minister’s housing by breaking down the police barricades and eating them on the streets.
"The leader of the revolutionary farmer labourer organization Arun Patel said,We are encouraged to increase crop diversification and production, but when we produce bumpers, the government leaves us at the resurrections of private traders". He alleged that the government assured the first Chief Minister met but later misleaded him.
Keeping the government side, Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan clarified Chief Minister Mohan Yadav in the letter that the Centre had already approved the purchase of 4.54 lakh MT Moong for Madhya Pradesh, which is 87% of the total sanctioned quantity of the whole country. He urged the State Government to increase the speed of purchase. "Our government always works in the interest of the farmers and we will ensure that they receive a reasonable price of their produce," said Adal Singh Kasana, Minister of State for Agriculture.
Financial Impact and Further Path
Now farmers will be able to sell at about 3 Quintal Mung government centres per acre. The Government has extended the time frame of slot booking for purchases by August 10 and the actual purchase period is upto 20 August 2026.
Regarding the fertilizer system, the government has formed a high-level committee that will examine the flaws of the e-token arrangement and suggest improvement. The distribution of manure will continue only from the old offline method. While this agreement provides instantaneous relief, it once again gave rise to that big debate whether the purchase system of pulses should also be fully open (Open-ended) like wheat and paddy. At the moment, the roads of Bhopal have been evacuated, but the future policy reforms will keep the view of the farmers.
