Despite Being the Largest Wheat Producer, Government Procurement in Uttar Pradesh Remains Low
14-Jul-2025 01:28 PM
Lucknow: Despite robust wheat production and strong logistical arrangements, government procurement of wheat in Uttar Pradesh (UP) this year saw only modest growth. Notably, UP is the largest wheat-producing state in India, and the government procurement process for this essential food grain began as early as mid-March. Yet, the total procurement stood at only 10.27 lakh tonnes, which, although about 1 lakh tonnes higher than last year, amounts to merely one-third of the targeted 30 lakh tonnes.
According to data recorded on the central foodgrain procurement portal, over 4.60 lakh farmers in UP registered to sell wheat to government agencies. However, only 1.43 lakh tonnes, or 31% of the registered farmers, could actually deliver their produce to procurement centers. For the 10.27 lakh tonnes of wheat purchased from farmers, the government paid ₹2,509 crore. The procurement was carried out at the Minimum Support Price (MSP) of ₹2,425 per quintal, similar to rates in states like Punjab, Haryana, and Bihar.
Despite being a major contributor to the central foodgrain pool, Uttar Pradesh ranked fifth in wheat procurement—behind Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, and Rajasthan. While Punjab procured over 100 lakh tonnes, Madhya Pradesh and Haryana each procured over 70 lakh tonnes, and Rajasthan procured more than 20 lakh tonnes, Uttar Pradesh could not even cross 10.5 lakh tonnes. Compared to their respective procurement targets, Punjab achieved 94% (119.19 lakh tonnes), Madhya Pradesh 77.71 lakh tonnes, Haryana 72.34 lakh tonnes, and Rajasthan 21.28 lakh tonnes. Rajasthan was the only state to exceed its target of 20 lakh tonnes. In contrast, UP lagged significantly with just 10.27 lakh tonnes.
As per official data, 38.90 lakh farmers nationwide registered to sell wheat this year, but only 23.96 lakh farmers (62%) were able to sell their produce to government agencies. Wheat procurement operations were conducted across 11 major wheat-producing regions, including the five aforementioned states, along with Bihar, Gujarat, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, and the Union Territory of Chandigarh.
Altogether, the Food Corporation of India and state agencies successfully procured 301.15 lakh tonnes of wheat from 23.61 lakh farmers, paying a total of ₹72,069 crore. In Uttar Pradesh, private traders played a significant role and procured large quantities of wheat directly from farmers.