The state government will procure 5 million tonnes (MT) of wheat at a minimum support price (MSP) of ₹2,585 per quintal (100 kg), worth over ₹12,925 crore.
Farmers will also receive ₹20 more per quintal for handling or cleaning the wheat crop.
The government plans to set up 6,500 procurement centres to purchase wheat during the season.
Compared to ₹2,425 per quintal MSP in the previous Rabi Marketing Season 2025-26, the official price has been hiked by ₹160 to ₹2,585 per quintal this season.
“The UP wheat procurement process started on March 30, and it will continue until June 15, 2026,” a food and civil supplies department official said.
While farmers are free to sell their produce to public or private buyers, the MSP provides them a guaranteed minimum return.
The government procures major food grains including paddy (rice) and wheat for its buffer stocks to ensure food security, stabilise market prices, and mitigate exigencies.
The stock also feeds the government-run public distribution system (PDS) or fair price shops for the poor.
So far, 225,000 state farmers have registered online to sell their produce to government agencies, and more than 3,570 procurement centres have already been set up across the state.
UP Chief Minister (CM) Yogi Adityanath directed officials to ensure farmers face no inconvenience at the procurement centres.
While the state food department had initially targeted procuring 3MT of wheat, the CM hiked the target to 5MT. He ordered that payments be made to farmers within 48 hours through the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT).
In the recently concluded Kharif Marketing Season 2025-26, the state government made payments of nearly ₹14,900 crore against the purchase of paddy from the state farmers.
In the 2024-25 season , the state’s institutional paddy payments totalled ₹13,370 crore.
Robust paddy procurement not only increased the food grain buffer, but kept farmers happy ahead of the 2027 UP assembly elections.
 "Wheat")