UP wheat procurement slips 35% against 5.5 million tonnes target

Several reasons have been cited by the food and civil supplies department for tepid procurement, including the recent Lok Sabha polls and competitive prices prevailing in the open market

The Uttar Pradesh government has failed to achieve its wheat procurement target of 5.5 million tonnes (MT) for the 2019 rabi marketing season.

State agencies fell short of the target by 35 per cent and could only procure about 3.6 MT of wheat till June 15, the day normal procurement season concludes. Last year, UP had over-achieved wheat procurement target of 5 MT by procuring 5.3 MT.

The state has extended the procurement window by 10 days to June 25 to facilitate more purchase and keep the open market rates competitive for the benefit of farmers. Nonetheless, procurement this season