Govt's wheat procurement down at 18.46 million tonnes so far in rabi year

The government has procured 18.46 million tonnes of wheat at a MSP value of Rs 37,192.07 crore so far in the ongoing 2022-23 rabi marketing year, benefitting 17.50 lakh farmers, the Food Ministry said on Monday.

Total wheat purchases made by the Food Corporation of India (FCI) and state agencies are, however, much lower than the year-ago period.

The rabi marketing year runs from April to March but the bulk of procurement ends by June. An all-time high of 433.44 lakh tonnes of wheat was procured in the previous marketing year.

According to the ministry, 96.16 lakh tonnes of wheat have been procured in Punjab, 44.45 lakh tonnes in Madhya Pradesh, 40.97 lakh tonnes in Haryana, 2.84 lakh tonnes in Uttar Pradesh till May 29 of the current marketing year.

About 3,343 tonnes of wheat have been procured in Bihar, 3,221 tonnes in Chandigarh, 1,982 tonnes in Uttrakhand, and 1,685 tonnes in Rajasthan, while one tonne in Delhi during the comparable period.

The wheat procurement target has been revised downward to 195 lakh tonnes for the current year from the earlier 444 lakh tonnes due to a fall in wheat output and increased exports.