Farmer ID to be mandatory for government procurement in Andhra Pradesh

The Andhra Pradesh Agriculture Department has decided to make the Farmer ID (Unique Farmer Number) mandatory for farmers seeking to sell their produce at government procurement centres ahead of the Kharif procurement season.At a review meeting on Monday, Agriculture Director Manazir Jeelani Samoon said the Farmer ID had already been made mandatory under the crop insurance scheme and would shortly be required for the PM-KISAN scheme as well. Given the significant Central share in crop procurement operations, linking every land parcel to a valid Farmer ID would be essential for government procurement, he said.AP Markfed, which procures pulses such as green gram, black gram, red gram and chickpea, and the Civil Supplies Corporation, which procures paddy, have been directed to purchase produce only from land parcels linked to a valid Farmer ID.Against the State’s target of 64.71 lakh Farmer IDs, 51.83 lakh farmers have so far been registered. Field-level officials have been instructed to intensify awareness campaigns and facilitate the registration of the remaining farmers, Dr. Samoon said.He also directed Common Service Centres (CSCs) to proactively assist farmers in obtaining Farmer IDs. Interacting virtually with CSC State Coordinator Ravi Kumar, he asked the centres to help farmers visiting their facilities complete the registration process.The move was aimed at ensuring that farmers and their landholdings were properly identified and linked to government procurement operations, he said.Officials from AP Markfed, the Civil Supplies Corporation, the Digital Agriculture Division, the Agriculture Ministry and TCS, among others, attended the meeting. Published - August 24, 2026 06:38 pm IST