A panel of three Union ministers on Sunday proposed the buying of pulses, maize, and cotton crops by government agencies at minimum support prices for five years after entering into an agreement with farmers. Speaking to the media after a more than four-hour-long meeting with farmer leaders here, Union Minister Piyush Goyal said the innovative and out-of-the-box idea came up during the discussions. The minister said the farmer leaders will decide on the proposals put forward by the government by Monday morning. "Cooperative societies like the NCCF (National Cooperative Consumers Federation) and NAFED (National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India) will enter into a contract with those farmers who grow 'tur dal', 'urad dal', 'masoor dal' or maize for buying their crop at MSP for next five years," said Goyal. There will be no limit on the quantity (purchased) and a portal will be developed for this," he added. It will save Punjab's farming, improve the groundwater Read The Rest at :