Centre may use mix of schemes to ensure most farmers get MSP benefits

The NITI Aayog, in a concept note floated a few months back, had suggested three models of procurement

The Centre seems to have zeroed in on two ways to ensure that most farmers get the benefit of its increased minimum support price (MSP) for the 2018-19 season.

In the first, sources said that the existing price support scheme (PSS) could be continued for coarse grains and pulses, while for oilseeds, state governments will be free to opt for either the PSS or the Madhya Pradesh’s Bhawantar Bhugtan Yojana (BBY).

Under the price support scheme, state governments, in conjunction with central agencies like Nafed, procure crops other than wheat and rice in the event of a fall in prices while the