Wheat Arrivals in Eight Punjab Districts Exceed Last Year's Figures

01-May-2026 01:46 PM

Chandigarh. Despite apprehensions regarding a decline in yield rates—stemming from abnormal weather conditions prevailing since late February—wheat arrivals in Punjab's *mandis* (grain markets) have, surprisingly, exceeded expectations this season.

Consequently, officials have become vigilant and are closely monitoring the entire situation. In eight districts of the state, wheat supplies have surpassed last year's figures and have even exceeded the designated procurement targets. A team of senior officials from the Food Corporation of India (FCI) has already visited the *mandis* witnessing heavy wheat arrivals.

Strict directives have been issued to all procurement agencies, mandating that prior to purchasing any wheat lot, it must be photographed, featured in that day's newspaper, and the entire procurement process must be videographed. Records of such photographs are to be maintained on a daily basis.

Apprehensions are being raised that attempts are being made in certain *mandis* to engage in the fraudulent trading of wheat through bogus firms. It is suspected that some individuals are procuring wheat at lower rates from outside Punjab and subsequently selling it to government agencies within the state's *mandis* at the Minimum Support Price (MSP). This year, the MSP for wheat has been fixed at ₹2,585 per quintal.

The eight districts where wheat supplies have exceeded their respective targets include Mohali, Sangrur, Ludhiana East, Faridkot, Kapurthala, Rupnagar (Ropar), Fatehgarh Sahib, Ludhiana West, and Patiala. In these districts, wheat arrivals have exceeded the designated targets by margins ranging from 2% to 31%, even as the inflow of fresh stock continues.

It is understood that the Food Corporation has constituted several teams to conduct surprise inspections of the *mandis* in these districts; following an assessment of the wheat arrivals there, these teams will submit their reports to the headquarters in Delhi. This year, a total procurement target of 122 lakh tonnes of wheat has been set for Punjab, against which approximately 114.13 lakh tonnes have already been procured to date. The deadline for wheat procurement in the state has been set for May 15.