The Centre is going ahead with its plan to align the procurement of paddy with the average yield of a district from this year to ensure only bona fide farmers sell paddy at the minimum support price (MSP), and middlemen and traders don’t game the system. This system, present in some states, is being extended across the country.

       In Punjab, the Centre has fixed a target of buying 17 million tonnes (mt) of paddy, based on yield estimates, but the state government wants it to be raised to 19 mt since yields are projected to have gone up this year. Haryana has been following a ...