The nationwide lockdown seems to have had no adverse impact on wheat procurement in Punjab, with the total quantity of grains collected for the Central pool till May 1 being more than 74 lakh tonnes (lt), a tad lower than 75.5 lt procured during the corresponding period last year.

Most other States, including neighbouring Haryana, managed to procure less than half wheat from farmers on minimum support price (MSP) over the previous rabi marketing season.

Food Corporation of India (FCI) and State agencies designated by FCI purchase wheat from farmers in 10 States and Union Territories for creating buffer stock as well as for public distribution across the country. The total procurement of wheat so far is 143 lt as against 196 lt procured till April 30 last year.

“The procurement is going on swiftly in the State. We have created 1,100 additional procurement points to ensure that every three villages have one procurement centre. We have around 3,700 procurement centres, including mandis,” said Sutantar Kumar Airi, Director of Agriculture, Punjab.

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According to him, the procurement target for the State is 130 lt, nearly 8 lakh tonnes more than 122 lt last year.

Haryana ,too, increased the number of procurement centres this year by more than four-fold to 2,000 as against last year’s 477, but its purchases so far is 46 per cent of what was achieved in the corresponding period last year. Wheat procurement till May 1 was 33.74 lt as against 73.3 lt till April 30 last year.

Procurement is swifter in Madhya Pradesh than in most other States, but at 27.6 lt, the quantity procured so far is 20 per cent lower than the purchase carried out in the same period last year.

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