Progress in Wheat Procurement

09-May-2026 11:36 AM

Government procurement of wheat for the Central Pool has shown significant improvement in recent days, narrowing the gap in procurement—compared to last year—to a very small margin. In fact, the pace of procurement had been running considerably slower than last year, largely due to the situation in Madhya Pradesh; however, indications now suggest that the momentum is picking up there as well. Official data reveals that during the current Rabi marketing season, up to May 7, 2026, a total of 276.67 lakh tonnes of wheat was procured for the Central Pool.

This figure is merely 3 percent lower than the 285.53 lakh tonnes procured during the corresponding period in 2025. It is worth noting that as of April 30, this gap stood at 9 percent. Compared to the previous year, wheat procurement as of April 16 this year had been 39 percent lower. In Madhya Pradesh, government wheat procurement crossed the 50 lakh-tonne mark, reaching 52.04 lakh tonnes; nevertheless, this remains 33 percent lower than the 77.20 lakh tonnes procured during the same period last year. Prior to this, as of April 30, a massive decline of 59 percent had been recorded in wheat procurement in the state.

Over the past week, 44.14 lakh tonnes of wheat were procured for the Central Pool at the national level—a figure 51 percent higher than the 29.22 lakh tonnes procured during the corresponding period last year. This provides a clear indication that substantial progress is being made in wheat procurement. Of the total 52.04 lakh tonnes of wheat procured in Madhya Pradesh, approximately half was procured during the period from May 1 to May 17. Both the Central and State governments have become proactive in ensuring increased procurement in the region.

The latest data also indicates that wheat procurement for the Central Pool has risen by 5 percent in Punjab, reaching 120.67 lakh tonnes, and by 15 percent in Haryana, nearing the 80 lakh-tonne mark—a figure significantly higher than the set target of 72 lakh tonnes. The procurement process remains ongoing across various states, raising expectations that government stocks will continue to rise.