Wheat procurement highest in last three years yet below target, says Centre
By Jitendra Choubey
At the end of the current wheat procurement season, the government has procured over 296 Lakh Metric Tonnes (LMT) of wheat, which is quite higher than in the past three years. However, the procurement is still far below the target of 332 LMT. Last year, the final wheat procurement was 266 LMT.
Like previous years, Punjab contributed the most to the stock, followed by Madhya Pradesh and Haryana to the central pool. Punjab contributed 119.3 LMT, whereas MP contributed 77.7 LMT and Haryana (71.4 LMT). (see table)
“We believe that our final wheat procurement will be between 295-300 LMT this season,” said Sanjeev Chopra, Secretary, Ministry of Food and Public Distribution. “Procurement is going on in Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan, which will add to the stock,” he adds.
Increased procurement of wheat and a six-year low in food inflation have put the government in a comfortable position.
Contributions from UP, Bihar, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu, and Kashmir were below expectations.
| State | Target of Procurement (LMT) | Progressive Procurement 2025-26 (LMT) | Progressive Procurement 2024-25 (LMT) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Punjab | 124 | 119.32 | 123.48 |
| Madhya Pradesh | 80 | 77.75 | 47.30 |
| Haryana | 75 | 71.40 | 71.39 |
| Rajasthan | 20 | 17.52 | 9.43 |
| Uttar Pradesh | 30 | 10.10 | 8.96 |
| Bihar | 2 | 0.17 | 0.09 |
Uttar Pradesh is the highest wheat producer in the country, but one of the lowest contributors to the central pool. This year, the UP government made a procurement target of 30 LMT but has contributed only around 10 LMT so far. Further, Bihar contributed only 17.4 thousand MT against the target of 2 LMT.
Given the higher wheat procurement this year, the government is reluctant to open the export.
“Once our target is achieved, we will discuss with the commerce ministry whether to allow exports,” said Prahalad Joshi, Union Minister of State for Food and Public Distribution, when TNIE asked. Further, he stated that there is no restriction on the export of rice.
Besides, the central government has launched the Depot Darpan portal and mobile app to track food storage depots across India, which follow high standards of safety, quality, and performance.
The Food Corporation of India planned to spend Rs 1000 crore and the Central Warehouse Corporation Rs 280 crore on modernising depots, such as maintaining temperatures and ventilation.
This article has been republished from The New India Express.