Government procurement of wheat increased by 14 percent and reached above 294 lakh tonnes
17-May-2025 11:05 AM
New Delhi. In the current Rabi marketing season till 15 May 2025, the Food Corporation of India (FCI) and its affiliated state agencies procured a total of 294.62 lakh tonnes of wheat at the national level.
This is about 14 percent higher than the procurement of 257.50 lakh tonnes during the same period last year and constitutes 88.60 percent of the revised procurement target of 332.70 lakh tonnes. The procurement season concluded in Punjab and Haryana on 15 May, while it continues in other states.
According to official data, procurement this year declined slightly in Punjab from 123.50 lakh tonnes to 119.30 lakh tonnes, and in Haryana from 71 lakh tonnes to 70.80 lakh tonnes. However, it rose in Uttar Pradesh from 9 lakh tonnes to 10 lakh tonnes,
in Madhya Pradesh from 45.90 lakh tonnes to 77.80 lakh tonnes, in Rajasthan from 8.40 lakh tonnes to 16.50 lakh tonnes, and in Bihar from 9 thousand tonnes to 16 thousand tonnes. Procurement is still ongoing in Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Bihar.
Despite the progress, all major wheat-producing states are trailing behind their revised procurement targets. In Punjab, 119.30 lakh tonnes have been procured against the target of 124 lakh tonnes; in Haryana, 70.80 lakh tonnes against 75 lakh tonnes; in Madhya Pradesh, 77.80 lakh tonnes against 80 lakh tonnes; in Uttar Pradesh,
10 lakh tonnes against 30 lakh tonnes; and in Rajasthan, 16.50 lakh tonnes against 20 lakh tonnes. Bihar and Gujarat have reported minimal procurement.
From this data, it is evident that Punjab retained the top position in contributing wheat to the central pool, while Madhya Pradesh surpassed Haryana to secure the second position.
Rajasthan stood fourth, and Uttar Pradesh came in fifth, achieving only one-third of its target. In contrast, the other four states achieved between 80 and 97 percent of their respective targets.
During the entire Rabi marketing season of 2024, a total of 266 lakh tonnes of wheat was procured nationally, including 124.65 lakh tonnes from Punjab, 71.51 lakh tonnes from Haryana,
48.39 lakh tonnes from Madhya Pradesh, 12.06 lakh tonnes from Rajasthan, 9.31 lakh tonnes from Uttar Pradesh, and 10 thousand tonnes from Bihar.
The increase in wheat procurement this year is attributed to better production and the strong performance of Madhya Pradesh.