DW BUREAU / New Delhi The government agencies may set a new record in rice procurement as the Union Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution said on Monday that around 495.37 lakh metric tonnes (LMT) of rice has been estimated for procurement during the forthcoming Kharif Marketing Season 2020-21. Previously, actual procurement of paddy (in terms of rice) was 420.22 LMT in KMS 2019-20, which was a record procurement, said the ministry in a statement. As per the statement, Secretary, Department of Food & Public Distribution (DoFPD), Government of India, chaired a meeting of State Food Secretaries through video conference on September 11 to discuss the procurement arrangements for ensuing Kharif Marketing Season (KMS) 2020-21. Around 495.37 LMT of rice has been estimated for procurement during the forthcoming KMS 2020-21 (Kharif Crop) season which is 19.07 per cent more than the 416 LMT procurement estimate of KMS 2019-20 (Kharif Crop). In KMS 2019-20 (Kharif Crop), actual procurement of paddy (in terms of rice) was 420.22 LMT. During ensuing KMS 2020-21, procurement estimates for Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra have jumped by 100 per cent and more, and for Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, Bihar and Jharkhand are higher by 50 per cent and more in comparison to KMS 2019-20, as per the statement. The leading states in terms of estimated procurement of rice are Punjab (113 LMT), Chhattisgarh (60 LMT) and Telangana (50 LMT) followed by Haryana (44 LMT), Andhra Pradesh (40 LMT), Uttar Pradesh (37 LMT) and Odisha (37 LMT), said the ministry. In view of COVID-19, Secretary, DoFPD requested all states to take necessary steps to ensure social distancing during procurement operations. Other issues of states regarding food subsidy were also discussed during the meeting. The Centre on Monday introduced three bills in the Lok Sabha on the farm sector asserting the Minimum Support Price(MSP) for agriculture produce is here to stay as farmers in Punjab continued their protests against the proposed laws. "I want to assure on behalf of the government that MSP was there, is there, and will continue to be there," Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said. (editor@dailyworld.in)