Government wheat procurement reaches 6 mn tonnes so far in 2025-26 season

By PTI

The government has purchased about 6 million tonne of wheat so far in the 2025-26 marketing season that began on April 1, a food ministry official said on Tuesday.

The government has set a procurement target of 31 million tonne for the current season, with approximately 20 million tonne expected to come from major producing states Punjab and Haryana, and the remainder from other states.

This target is lower despite the agriculture ministry forecasting record wheat production of 115 million tonne in the 2024-25 crop year (July-June).

“Much of the quantity procured so far has come from Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. Procurement in Punjab and Haryana would pick up pace in the coming days,” the official said.

The crop yields are reported to be good and the procurement target will be achieved, the official added.

Also read: Punjab: Private buyers dominate wheat procurement, offer more than MSP

Government wheat procurement in 2024-25 was 26.6 million tonne against a target of 30-32 million tonne. This exceeded the 26.2 million tonne procured in 2023-24, when the target was 34.15 million tonne.

According to agriculture ministry data, farmers have harvested 38 per cent of the estimated 32 million hectares planted with wheat so far. Harvesting conditions are reported to be better in Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and Bihar.

Wheat procurement is a critical government operation aimed at ensuring food security, supporting farmers with guaranteed prices, and maintaining buffer stocks for the Public Distribution System. The process is primarily managed by the Food Corporation of India and state agencies.

India is the world’s second-largest wheat producer behind China.

This article has been republished from The Business Standard.