Procurement of wheat by the Food Corporation of India and State agencies has crossed last year’s 25 million tonnes (mt), with Haryana, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh registering an rise in purchases over the corresponding period a year ago.

No rain impact This is despite a delayed start to the commencement of harvest season this year on prolonged winter and unseasonal rains.

So far, wheat procurement in the 2014-15 marketing season is 25.22 mt, marginally higher than last year’s total of 25.09 mt.

The Government has set a procurement target of 31 mt for the current season.

Market arrivals, on the other hand, continue to be steady in Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.

The Government, in its third advance estimates released last week, has revised the wheat crop size upward to 95.85 mt from last year’s 93.51 mt.

The projections indicate that the multiple spells of unseasonal rains witnessed in the key wheat growing regions had no impact on the crop size.

Output, target The Government estimates total foodgrain output in 2013-14 to touch a new high of 264.38 mt, boosted by a record output of rice at 106.29 mt and wheat at 95.85 mt.

The production of total pulses during the year is also estimated at a record 19.57 mt.

For the next season, the Government has set a wheat production target of 94 million tonnes, marginally lower than this year’s output.

In the recently-approved production targets, the Government has pegged the foodgrain output in the year ahead at 261 mt.

Kharif target Kharif production target has been set at 130.25 mt; for rabi, the target has been pegged at 130.75 mt.

Rice production target for the year ahead has been set at 92 mt during kharif season and 14 mt during rabi.

The Government has pegged pulses production at 19.5 mt.

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