Wheat procurement so far for the 2024-25 marketing year stood at 262.48 lakh tonnes, surpassed last year's total procurement of 262.02 lakh tonnes. Major contribution in the procurement came from the northern states of Punjab and Haryana.
26.2 million tonnes of rabi (winter)-sown grain has already been purchased for the central pool, benefiting 22.31 lakh farmers, with a minimum support price outflow of Rs 59,715 crore. The major procuring states were Punjab with 12.4 million tonnes, Haryana with 71.49 lakh tonnes, Madhya Pradesh with 47.78 lakh tonnes, Rajasthan with 9.66 lakh tonnes and Uttar Pradesh with 9.07 lakh tonnes.
Wheat procurement normally runs from April to March, but the Centre this year allowed states to make purchases based on crop arrivals. In most states, the procurement began in early March. The government has set a wheat procurement target of 300-320 million tonnes for the 2024-25 marketing year.
Rice procurement is also progressing smoothly, with 72.8 million tonnes of paddy, equivalent to 48.9 million tonnes of rice, procured directly from 98.26 lakh farmers at a minimum support price outflow of around Rs 1,60,472 crore. The combined stock of wheat and rice currently exceeds 60 million tonnes in the central pool, putting the country in a comfortable position to meet its foodgrain requirements under the PM Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana and other welfare schemes, as well as for market interventions.