The Centre’s wheat procurement has gone up by 13.74 per cent to 119 lakh tonnes so far in the 2017-18 marketing year on higher purchases from Punjab and Haryana.
Although the wheat marketing year runs from April to March, the bulk of procurement is done in the first three months.
Procurement commenced early this year, from March 15, in some States like Madhya Pradesh. The Food Corporation of India (FCI) as well as State agencies undertake procurement operation at the minimum support price (MSP). They have set a target to buy 330 lakh tonne wheat this year, against 229.6 lakh tonne in 2016-17.
“Wheat procurement will pick up pace in the coming weeks. So far, about 119.07 lakh tonnes of wheat has been purchased, against 104.68 lakh tonnes in the same period last year,” said a senior FCI official.
Much of the procurement has been done from Punjab, Haryana and Madhya Pradesh. It is yet to pick up in Gujarat and Rajasthan, he added.
As per FCI data, wheat procurement in Haryana has increased to 47.16 lakh tonne so far this year, against 44.56 lakh tonne in the year-ago period.
Similarly, the procurement in Punjab has gone up to 37.42 lakh tonne from 30.81 lakh tonne, while in Madhya Pradesh it rose to 30.55 lakh tonne from 28.29 lakh tonne.
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