Government to procure 50 lakh tonnes of wheat from UP, Rajasthan, Bihar in 2024-25 marketing year

05 Apr 2024 Evaluate

The government has planned to increase wheat purchase from non-traditional states of Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Bihar and set a target of seven-fold jump in procurement to 50 lakh tonnes in the ongoing 2024-25 marketing year. While Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Bihar put together contributed only 6.7 lakh tonnes to the central pool during the 2023-24 marketing year (April-March), the Union Food Ministry has decided to procure 16 per cent of the total wheat procurement target of 310 lakh tonne set for 2024-25. 

The government has been taken various steps to increase the procurement level in three states. This will help to restore allocation of wheat under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana and other welfare schemes. The allocation of wheat has been reduced to 184 lakh tonnes annually from the previous 230-240 lakh tonnes under various welfare schemes in view of lower procurement in the last two years.

Government initiatives to strengthen wheat procurement in non-traditional states are as follows; the procurement window has been advanced/extended to March instead of April 1, set up a dedicated farmer helpline to address procurement-related queries, intensified media publicity of MSP rate, and drying facilities have been provided for early harvested crop. Besides, the government has advanced farmer registration from January 1 instead of March 1, simplified farmers' land record verification, including tenant farmers, given flexible procurement targets to agencies.

The government has decided to ensure transfer of MSP to bank accounts of farmers within 48 hours, streamlined procurement incidental burden for farmers, smoothened banking-related issues such as Aadhaar integration with bank accounts. The government has also opened more procurement centres targeting production hotspots, set up mobile procurement centres, decide to leverage Self Help Groups, Panchayats, Farmer Producer Organisations etc. 

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