Achi news desk-
purchase of wheat
– Photo: Amar Ojala
expansion
This year wheat procurement increased from 262.02 lakh tonnes last year. In the corresponding period last year, 261.6 lakh tons of wheat were purchased. The most important thing about this is that due to vigorous purchases in Punjab and Haryana, for the first time in this session there were more purchases than last year. The government said in a statement that 262.48 lakh tonnes of rabi season grains have already been procured for central storage. It benefited 22.31 lakh farmers with a minimum support price of Rs 59,715 crore. If we talk about shopping states, Punjab was at the top. This was followed by Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.
This much wheat was procured in Punjab and Haryana
So far, 12.4 million tonnes of wheat has been procured in Punjab, 71.49 lakh tonnes in Haryana, 47.78 lakh tonnes in Madhya Pradesh, 9.66 lakh tonnes in Rajasthan and 9.07 lakh tonnes in Uttar Pradesh. Wheat procurement usually runs from April to March, but this year the Center allowed states to make purchases based on the arrival of the crop. In most countries, procurement began in early March. The government set the wheat procurement target for the 2024-25 marketing year at 30 to 32 million tons.
Experts say total procurement this season could be between 270 and 290 lakh tonnes, which would be marginally more than last year’s 261.9 lakh tonnes. But this is far short of the target of 300 to 320 lakh tonnes of procurement for 2025. It also means that for the third consecutive year, India’s official procurement of wheat for the central pool, which is used to feed the poor, will be below target.
