Government purchase of wheat reaches above last year's total quantity

06-May-2025 01:56 PM

New Delhi. With strong procurement of wheat for the central pool in states like Punjab, Haryana, and Madhya Pradesh, the chances of achieving the government’s target have increased.

Last week, the Union Food Secretary stated that the total wheat procurement was expected to meet the original target of 312.70 lakh tonnes.

However, the government has now revised the target upward by 20 lakh tonnes to 332.70 lakh tonnes, with the entire increase allocated to Madhya Pradesh. Initially, the procurement target for the state was 60 lakh tonnes, which has now been raised to 80 lakh tonnes in two increments of 10 lakh tonnes each.

Wheat procurement in Madhya Pradesh has surged from 38.90 lakh tonnes last year to 72.70 lakh tonnes this year, with the process still ongoing.

According to official figures, a total of 266.05 lakh tonnes of wheat was procured by the Food Corporation of India (FCI) and its associated state agencies during the entire Rabi marketing season in 2024.

In comparison, by May 4, 2025, procurement for the current season had already reached 273.60 lakh tonnes, with procurement still active in all major wheat-producing states. In the same period last year, procurement was only 231.30 lakh tonnes.

The Union Agriculture Ministry has projected a national wheat production increase from 1132.90 lakh tonnes last year to an all-time high of 1154.30 lakh tonnes in the current year.

However, industry and trade estimates are slightly more conservative, suggesting production closer to 1100 lakh tonnes.

Procurement activity in Punjab has slowed, although the state still accounts for the highest government procurement of wheat.

This year, Punjab has recorded 111.90 lakh tonnes of wheat purchases, slightly less than last year's 112.70 lakh tonnes.

Notably, this marks the first time in the current season that procurement in Punjab has fallen behind the previous year. Until May 2, procurement figures in the state had been ahead.

According to the latest data, Haryana's wheat procurement rose from 67.20 lakh tonnes last year to 67.70 lakh tonnes this year, while Rajasthan saw a sharp increase from 5.50 lakh tonnes to 12.80 lakh tonnes.

However, the pace of procurement in both states has now slowed. The situation in Uttar Pradesh remains concerning, with only 8.50 lakh tonnes procured so far against the target of 30 lakh tonnes. This is just slightly higher than last year’s 6.80 lakh tonnes.