An official statement issued late Monday, ahead of the procurement season, said the revised rates would take effect from the upcoming 2026-27 rabi marketing season.
For paddy procurement, too, the commission payable to arthiyas has been increased from ₹45.88 per quintal to ₹50.61 per quintal. For cooperative societies, the commission on wheat procurement will rise from ₹27 per quintal to ₹29.79 per quintal, while for paddy it will increase from ₹32 per quintal to ₹35.30 per quintal.
The Centre’s decision follows requests from several state governments for an upward revision in the commission structure. Officials said the revision was aimed at ensuring the continued efficiency of the government’s procurement system and providing adequate support to agencies involved in procurement operations.
According to the statement, under the central pool procurement framework, commission is paid to arthiyas, cooperative societies, sub-agents and other intermediaries that facilitate procurement by aggregating produce from farmers and supplying it to government agencies. These entities play a key role in the procurement ecosystem, assisting with aggregation, logistics and coordination. Any increase in commission rates has a direct impact on food subsidy, as it raises the economic cost of procuring wheat and rice.
The statement added that where procurement was undertaken at modern silos, the commission payable would remain at 50 per cent of the mandi rate, in line with the existing policy.
For 2026-27, the Centre has set a wheat procurement target of 30.3 million tonnes, nearly unchanged from 29.9 million tonnes in 2025-26. The government undertakes large-scale procurement of wheat and paddy every year at the minimum support price (MSP) to maintain buffer stocks and supply grain under the public distribution system and other welfare schemes. Intermediaries like arthiyas and cooperative societies remain integral to this process, especially in key procurement states like Punjab and Haryana.
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