The Process and Shortcomings in Paddy Procurement: A Case Study of Bhandara District of Maharashtra

This paper is a humble attempt in analyzing the presumptions about loopholes in the paddy procurement chain, that were disclosed in several meetings and discussions with the District Marketing Officer and the Additional Collector of district Bhandara in Maharashtra. Paddy passes through several stages from a farm to the mill, under the MSP scheme of the Government. The major aim of the MSP was to extend a welfare hand to the farmers and to protect him from market fluctuations. However, in Bhandara, it was seen that the system of procurement under MSP, was twisted to benefit some major players. It is in resonance with Fred Rigg’s theory of prismatic societies where there are huge gaps between the policy that is envisaged and the policy that is implemented on ground. It was seen that the procurement centers do not comply with rules of grading and fair procurement, the documents submitted by the farmers are not duly attested by the Talathis, there was diversion of poor-quality paddy from nearby states and there also exists a grey market of PDS that undermines the MSP scheme. Attempt was to prove each claim through a set research methodology: aninterview, a survey, a case study or interpretation of primary and secondary data. All data was sourced from the local government officials and the images of some documents were sourced from visits to procurement centers and Talathi offices. Key findings have been shared and some systemic solutions suggested in the end because big bang reforms are not always an answer.