evidence: In order to safeguard such a large number of small and marginal farmers, procurement of staple cereals such as wheat at the minimum support price (MSP) is an important policy tool that involves large scale procurement dispersed in wheat producing states like Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Bihar. The procurement of wheat involves massive handling of small quantities from a large number of individuals, a mammoth task as it has to be completed during the limited period of 3 months of Rabi harvesting, i.e., from April to June. FCI with other supporting state agencies play a vital role in the procurement of wheat. They procure about 33% of total wheat production in the country for the purpose of supporting farmers through minimum support price (MSP) to save them from distress sale, maintaining food security through the country-wide public distribution system (PDS), stocking reserves as a buffer to meet exigencies and to stabilize market prices through open sale of wheat in case of the steep rise of market prices.