Government procurement of wheat likely to remain far behind the set target
04-Jun-2024 05:58 PM
New Delhi. Government procurement of wheat in states like Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan has been much less than expected and now, given the meagre arrival of goods at procurement centres, there is no possibility of much improvement in procurement.
It did not look interesting. Similarly, in Uttar Pradesh, it was decided to start wheat procurement from March 1 instead of the fixed date of April 1 and traders and flour millers were asked to stay away from the procurement process, but this also did not bring any significant result. Later, flour millers were allowed to purchase wheat from farmers in limited quantities to meet their immediate needs.
Government procurement of wheat in Punjab and Haryana stopped on 31st May. In both these states, a total of about 196 lakh tonnes of wheat was purchased, which was 93 percent of its combined target of 210 lakh tonnes.
A target of purchasing 130 lakh tonnes of wheat in Punjab and 80 lakh tonnes in Haryana was set. On the other hand, a target of purchasing 160 lakh tonnes of wheat was set in Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan, but till May 31, about 69 lakh tonnes could be purchased in these three states combined, which is 43 percent less than the target set.
This time a target of purchasing 80 lakh tonnes of wheat has been set in Madhya Pradesh, 60 lakh tonnes in Uttar Pradesh and 20 lakh tonnes in Rajasthan.
At the national level, 265 lakh tonnes of wheat was purchased for the central pool till May 31, 2024, which is about 108 lakh tonnes less than the target set at 273 lakh tonnes. Since the procurement centers have started becoming deserted, there is no possibility of much increase in the quantity of purchase in the future.
The government has started finding out the reasons for the purchase of wheat in much less quantity than the set target. The Ministry of Agriculture has estimated the domestic production of wheat to increase to a new record level of 1120.20 lakh tonnes. It appears that big producers are trying to keep huge quantities of wheat stock with them.