Wheat Procurement Scenario

02-May-2026 12:36 PM

As of April 30 this year, a total of 23.25 million tonnes of wheat has been procured nationally for the central pool, which is about 9% higher than last year’s procurement of 25.63 million tonnes during the same period.

On one hand, procurement in Punjab and Haryana is progressing strongly, while on the other hand, the situation in Madhya Pradesh is disappointing, and procurement remains weak in Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.

An interesting point is that procurement targets have been increased in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh. In contrast, Haryana has already exceeded its procurement target significantly, yet no official announcement has been made to revise its target upward.

Punjab’s procurement performance is notably better than last year, with figures surpassing 10 million tonnes. Procurement in the state is scheduled to continue until May 15, and it is expected that total government procurement may reach or even exceed the target of 12.2 million tonnes by then.

In Haryana, against a set target of 7.2 million tonnes, procurement has already reached 7.66 million tonnes, which is 17% higher than the 6.57 million tonnes procured during the same period last year.

However, the situation in Madhya Pradesh is not satisfactory. The procurement target there has been raised from 7.8 million tonnes to 10 million tonnes, but only 2.75 million tonnes had been procured by April 30, 2026—about 59% lower than last year’s 6.768 million tonnes during the same period.

Rajasthan is also lagging significantly behind last year, while Uttar Pradesh is gradually catching up.

Since government warehouses already hold a large stock of wheat, even if procurement during the current Rabi marketing season declines by 5–10%, it is unlikely to pose any threat to national food security.

The government has approved exports of 5 million tonnes of wheat and 1 million tonnes of value-added wheat products. However, strong performance on the export front is not expected.