Ludhiana, Sept. 26 -- Cabinet minister Tarunpreet Singh Sond on Thursday inaugurated paddy procurement at Asia's largest grain market, assuring farmers that every grain of their crop will be procured.

He urged farmers to bring only dry paddy to mandis for faster processing. "The government has made robust arrangements to ensure farmers face no hurdles. The minimum support price (MSP) for paddy has been fixed at Rs.2,389 per quintal," he said.

The state has a target of procuring 172 lakh metric tonnes (LMT) of paddy, with arrangements to handle up to 190 LMT to accommodate higher yields.

The minister assured farmers that crop lifting and payments will be done simultaneously, with direct transfers to bank accounts processed immediately....