Minimal Contribution of URS Wheat to Total Procurement
30-Apr-2026 05:55 PM
New Delhi. Previously, there was considerable outcry claiming that wheat quality had suffered extensive damage due to unseasonal rains, storms, and hailstorms. Based on these claims, the Union Ministry of Food announced significant relaxations in the quality-related norms and conditions for government wheat procurement in Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan. However, the facts that have now emerged clearly indicate that—with the sole exception of Rajasthan—damage to wheat quality in other states has been confined to limited geographical areas.
This season, a total of 212.09 lakh tonnes of wheat was procured for the Central Pool up to April 28, 2026. Of this, the contribution of wheat meeting Fair Average Quality (FAQ) standards stood at 201.20 lakh tonnes—or approximately 95 percent—while the share of grain under URS (Relaxed Specifications) was 10.85 lakh tonnes, or 5 percent. In Punjab and Haryana—the two leading states contributing wheat to the Central Pool this season—the quality of the procured wheat has been observed to be quite good.
In Punjab, out of the 103.40 lakh tonnes of wheat procured, the share of URS-category grain was merely 1.68 lakh tonnes, whereas in Haryana, this quantity remained at zero. In Punjab, 98 percent of the wheat procured met Fair Average Quality standards, while in Haryana, this figure stood at 100 percent.
The procurement target for wheat this season was set at 122 lakh tonnes for Punjab and 72 lakh tonnes for Haryana; however, in Haryana, actual procurement surpassed this target, reaching 74.26 lakh tonnes.
In Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan, the pace of government wheat procurement has been slower compared to the previous year.
In Uttar Pradesh, 1.62 lakh tonnes of URS wheat has been procured, accounting for 32 percent of the total government procurement of 6.10 lakh tonnes. While no URS wheat has been procured in Madhya Pradesh, the procurement of URS wheat in Rajasthan has reached 88 percent of the total procurement in the state.