Adequate Wheat Stock Available in Central Pool
14-Apr-2026 01:49 PM
New Delhi. Official data indicates that as of April 1, 2026, the Central Pool held a wheat stock of 22.2 million tonnes. This figure is slightly lower than the 23.622 million tonnes available on March 1, 2026, but significantly higher than the 11.798 million tonnes held on April 1, 2025, and the 7.502 million tonnes available on April 1, 2024. Due to regular withdrawals for supply under the Public Distribution System (PDS) and other welfare schemes—coupled with an extremely slow pace of procurement during March—the government's wheat stock declined by approximately 1.4 million tonnes at the beginning of April, a development that was entirely expected.
According to industry and trade analysts, the Union Ministry of Food has set a procurement target of 30.337 million tonnes of wheat for the current Rabi Marketing Season (April–June) of 2026. If this target is achieved, the total availability of government-held wheat will reach 52.5 million tonnes—a figure far exceeding domestic demand and consumption.
The Chairman of the Wheat Production Promotion Society states that, this year, the government has allocated a combined wheat quota covering two to three months for distribution among ration card holders across various states.
This measure aims to free up storage space in warehouses to facilitate the safe storage of the newly harvested wheat crop. During the April–June period, the Central Pool is required to maintain a minimum wheat stock of at least 7.5 million tonnes; however, the current stock level stands significantly above this prescribed minimum. This minimum stock requirement comprises 4.46 million tonnes of operational stock and 3 million tonnes of reserve stock.
With the weather clearing up, the pace of wheat harvesting and field preparation activities has begun to accelerate in the major wheat-producing states. The speed of government procurement is also expected to pick up in Punjab, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan. Meanwhile, wheat prices in wholesale markets have dropped below the Minimum Support Price (MSP).