Punjab, Haryana and Andhra Pradesh corner 50% MSP rice procurement

Three states — Punjab, Haryana and Andhra Pradesh, account for more than 50 per cent of the total rice procurement in the country. Ironically, West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh, the top two rice-producing states, account for less than 10 per cent of the total procurement.  

According to data from Food Corporation of India (FCI), in 2017-18 Kharif season, of the 36.18 million metric tonne of rice procured by various agencies, about 11.83 tonne was from Punjab, followed by 3.99 metric tonne in Haryana and 3.87 metric tonne from Andhra Pradesh. Together, the three states accounted for close to 54 per