Government purchase of more than 10.27 lakh tonnes of wheat in Uttar Pradesh

23-Jun-2025 03:35 PM

Lucknow. Uttar Pradesh is the largest producer of wheat in India, yet it ranks fifth in terms of contributing this food grain to the central pool.

However, due to increased government efforts, wheat procurement in the state reached a new record of 10.27 lakh tonnes during the current Rabi marketing season, though this was still only one-third of the set target of 30 lakh tonnes. In comparison, the government purchased 9.31 lakh tonnes of wheat in the state during 2024.

According to official data, over 10.27 lakh tonnes of wheat worth Rs 2508.26 crore was purchased from more than two lakh farmers through 5,853 procurement centers across Uttar Pradesh.

This procurement was made at the minimum support price (MSP) of Rs 2,425 per quintal, as announced by the Central Government.

Several measures were adopted by the state government to boost procurement. The operating hours of procurement centers were extended from 8 am to 8 pm daily, including holidays. Mobile procurement centers were also deployed to reach farmers in remote villages.

It was anticipated that government procurement would come closer to the target this year as the process began early, on March 17, and movement of wheat out of the state was restricted during the procurement period.

Trade analysts suggest that if an additional bonus had been announced for farmers—like in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan—the results might have been better.

Many flour millers and private traders offered farmers higher prices than the MSP, which diverted some of the produce away from government procurement channels.