Government Confident of Achieving Wheat Procurement Target

14-Apr-2025 08:36 PM

New Delhi: The Union Food Ministry is optimistic about meeting its ambitious target of procuring 313 lakh tonnes of wheat this year for the central pool.

The ministry has outlined specific procurement goals: 124 lakh tonnes from Punjab, 75 lakh tonnes from Haryana, 60 lakh tonnes from Madhya Pradesh, 30 lakh tonnes from Uttar Pradesh, and 20 lakh tonnes from Rajasthan, with additional procurement from states like Bihar and Gujarat.

Last year, 266 lakh tonnes of wheat was procured, following 262 lakh tonnes in 2023 and 188 lakh tonnes in 2022.

This year,

procurement in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan is expected to exceed targets due to the announcement of additional bonuses for farmers and falling wholesale prices, which are now close to or even below the Minimum Support Price (MSP).

Farmers are receiving Rs 2600 per quintal in Madhya Pradesh and Rs 2575 per quintal in Rajasthan, including bonuses. Already, 27 lakh tonnes have been procured in Madhya Pradesh alone in less than a month.

If procurement lags in Punjab, Haryana, or Uttar Pradesh, strong performance in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan is expected to offset the gap. Notably, Uttar Pradesh's procurement is also showing improvement over last year.