Sharp Decline in Government Wheat Procurement

28-Apr-2026 08:06 PM

New Delhi: Official data reveals that during the current Rabi marketing season—up to April 26, 2026—a total of 194.81 lakh tonnes of wheat was procured from farmers nationwide at the Minimum Support Price (MSP) by the Food Corporation of India (FCI) and its associated state agencies. This figure represents a decline of 13 percent, or 29.58 lakh tonnes, compared to the procurement of 224.39 lakh tonnes recorded during the corresponding period last year.

During the period under review, while government wheat procurement surged from 83.76 lakh tonnes to 94.70 lakh tonnes in Punjab, and rose from 61.99 lakh tonnes to 70.80 lakh tonnes in Haryana, it witnessed a decline in other states. Procurement fell from 6.43 lakh tonnes to 4.98 lakh tonnes in Uttar Pradesh; plummeted from 61.45 lakh tonnes to 16.61 lakh tonnes in Madhya Pradesh; and dropped from 9.80 lakh tonnes to 7.22 lakh tonnes in Rajasthan.

Limited quantities of wheat were procured in Bihar, Uttarakhand, Gujarat, and Himachal Pradesh, with performance in these states surpassing that of the previous year; however, in the Union Territory of Chandigarh, procurement shrank significantly from 80,000 tonnes to a mere 10,000 tonnes. The procurement process remains ongoing in all states.

Relative to the total set targets, 78 percent of the wheat procurement target had been achieved in Punjab and 98 percent in Haryana by April 26. In contrast, only 20 percent of the target was met in Uttar Pradesh, 17 percent in Madhya Pradesh, 10 percent in Bihar, and 31 percent in Rajasthan.

Given the exceptional pace of procurement in Haryana, it appears that it may become necessary to revise the target upward beyond the current level of 72 lakh tonnes.