Ambitious Wheat Procurement Target
25-Apr-2026 10:45 AM
The Union Ministry of Food had initially set a procurement target of 303.37 lakh tonnes of wheat for the current Rabi marketing season; however, in light of certain exceptional circumstances, this target has now been revised upward by a substantial 42 lakh tonnes, bringing the new target to 345 lakh tonnes.
This move could enable farmers to successfully sell the majority of their damaged wheat stock at the Minimum Support Price (MSP). Wholesale market prices for wheat had dropped below the MSP, forcing farmers to struggle arduously to secure a remunerative price for their produce.
With the objective of boosting market prices, the wheat export quota has been doubled from 25 lakh tonnes to 50 lakh tonnes, while the export quota for wheat products has been increased from 5 lakh tonnes to 10 lakh tonnes.
Concurrently, significant relaxations regarding quality norms and conditions have been granted in the four leading states contributing wheat to the Central Pool—Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh. Furthermore, the Ministry has urged flour millers to endeavor to increase their direct procurement from farmers in the *mandis* (wholesale markets), rather than relying solely on government-procured wheat.
However, actual wheat procurement over the past three to four years has consistently fallen significantly short of the set targets, and the scenario this time around appears no different. Government procurement figures currently lag considerably behind those of the previous year.
An interesting fact is that Madhya Pradesh—the very state witnessing the sharpest decline in wheat procurement—has also seen the largest upward revision in its procurement target, with an increase of 22 lakh tonnes.
Nevertheless, the State Chief Minister has affirmed that the entire stock of wheat arriving at government procurement centers will be purchased, even if it necessitates extending the procurement deadline. Procurement targets have also been increased in the states of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Rajasthan.