Wheat Procurement for 2025–26 Rabi Season Hits 29.92 MT

The Central government has concluded its wheat procurement for the 2025–26 rabi marketing season (April–June), recording a total purchase of 29.92 million tonnes (MT)—the highest since the 2021–22 season. This mark a 13% increase over last year’s procurement and offers a boost to the country’s food security reserves.

Procurement operations have wrapped up across most states, with only minor arrivals still reported in Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan. Officials stated that the current stock would be sufficient to meet the requirements of the public distribution system (PDS) and support potential market intervention programmes.

The procurement drive has been robust despite total mandi arrivals standing at 40.42 MT nationwide. In comparison, wheat procurement in previous rabi seasons stood at 26.6 MT in 2024–25 and 26.2 MT in 2023–24. The record was set in 2021–22, when the government procured 43.3 MT. However, a sharp drop to 18.8 MT followed in 2022–23 due to reduced output.

This year’s procurement drive has seen significant contributions from key wheat-producing states, led by:

Punjab: 11.93 MT

Madhya Pradesh: 7.77 MT

Haryana: 7.14 MT

Rajasthan: 2.02 MT

However, Uttar Pradesh—the country’s largest wheat producer—has lagged, with only 1.02 MT procured so far, against a seasonal target of 3 MT.

Officials indicated that, given the healthy stock position, the government may approve additional wheat allocations to states under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY). As of now, the Food Corporation of India (FCI) holds 36.65 MT of wheat, comfortably exceeding the July 1 buffer norm of 27.58 MT.

The agriculture ministry estimates wheat output for the 2024–25 crop year (July–June) at a record 117.5 MT, reflecting a 3.7% year-on-year increase. Despite the strong harvest, wheat inflation stood at 7.61% in April, reflecting continued pressure on retail prices.

As of Thursday, average mandi prices for wheat were reported as:

Madhya Pradesh: ₹2,521/quintal

Punjab: ₹2,475/quintal

Rajasthan: ₹2,465/quintal

Haryana: ₹2,425/quintal

Meanwhile, the modal retail price of wheat stood at ₹28/kg, according to data from the Department of Consumer Affairs’ price monitoring cell.

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