Uttarakhand is preparing to procure 12,000 metric tonnes of finger millet (mandua/ragi) during the 2026–27 Kharif procurement season as the state strengthens institutional market support for millet farmers.

State Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Minister Rekha Arya reviewed preparations with departmental officials ahead of the procurement season. Finger millet procurement will begin on October 1 and continue until December 31, 2026.

For the current season, the Minimum Support Price for finger millet has been fixed at ₹5,205 per quintal. The state has established a procurement target of 12,000 metric tonnes, with officials instructed to work towards procuring the targeted quantity.

The procurement drive will run alongside the state's paddy purchasing programme. Uttarakhand has separately set a target of seven lakh metric tonnes for paddy procurement, with MSPs of ₹2,441 per quintal for common paddy and ₹2,461 for Grade A paddy.

Authorities have also been directed to prepare procurement centres before purchasing begins. Facilities including moisture meters, tents, banners and drinking water are expected to be made available so that farmers can complete the procurement process without unnecessary difficulties.

Payments for crops procured from farmers will be transferred directly to their accounts, and the state government says adequate budgetary arrangements have been made for the procurement programme.

The latest target represents a significant scale-up compared with the previous season. In 2025, Uttarakhand's Cooperative Federation had targeted 50,000 quintals, or 5,000 tonnes, of mandua, with procurement operating through 211 cooperative societies.

Uttarakhand has been increasingly integrating traditional crops such as mandua, jhangora and other millets into its wider agricultural development strategy. Its millet policy also seeks to strengthen processing, value addition and market access so that farmers can participate in more of the millet value chain.

The higher procurement target and MSP provide a clear market signal for finger millet growers and reinforce mandua's growing role in Uttarakhand's agricultural economy.