To minimise distressed sales and safeguard the interests of farmers, the Centre has loosened quality standards for wheat procurement in Punjab, Chandigarh, Haryana, and Rajasthan, a top official said on Tuesday. In certain areas of these states, the standing wheat crop was ready for harvest when the recent untimely rainfall, hailstorm, and high velocity wind struck. These state administrations had pushed for a loosening of the rules governing procurement. While it has been postponed in other regions due to unseasonably wet weather, the procurement of wheat is currently under way in Madhya Pradesh. Wheat is purchased by the government-owned Food Corporation of India (FCI) and state organisations.
