Record wheat procurement for 2024-25: 22.31 lakh farmers benefit, MSP outflow hits Rs 59,715 crore
Wheat procurement for Rabi season 2024-25 exceeds last year’s total, reaching 262.48 LMT, benefiting 22.31 lakh farmers with an MSP outflow of Rs 59,715 crore. Punjab, Haryana, MP, Rajasthan, UP contribute majorly. MSP for wheat set at Rs 2,275 per quintal. Bonus announced in Rajasthan and MP. Rice procurement progressing well, with 728.42 LMT of paddy equivalent to 489.15 LMT of rice procured. Total MSP outflow for rice: Rs 160,472 crore.
Procurement of wheat during the Rabi marketing season 2024-25 is going on smoothly in the major procuring states across the country.
Around 262.48 lakh metric tonnes (LMT) of wheat have already been procured so far this year, surpassing last year’s total procurement of 262.02 LMT, the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution said in an update on May 24.
A total of 22.31 lakh farmers have benefitted with total MSP outflow to the tune of Rs 59,715 crore, it added.
According to the official release, major contribution in the procurement came from five states — Punjab, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh with procurement of 124.26 LMT, 71.49 LMT, 47.78 LMT, 9.66 LMT, and 9.07 LMT, respectively.
At the beginning of the season, the food ministry had projected to procure 30-31 MT of wheat this season.
The government had announced an MSP of Rs 2,275 per quintal for wheat, which is Rs 150 per quintal more than the previous season. In addition to MSP, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh have announced a bonus of Rs 125 per quintal to boost purchases in their states, ANI reported.
The rice procurement is also progressing smoothly, the ministry said.
Around 728.42 LMT of paddy equivalent to 489.15 LMT of rice has been so far procured directly from 98.26 lakh farmers during Kharif marketing season 2023-24, with a total MSP outflow of approximately Rs 160,472 crore.
“With the above quantity of procurement, the combined stock of wheat and rice at present in the central pool surpassed 600 LMT, putting the country in a comfortable position to meet its requirements of food grains under the free food programme Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) and other welfare schemes and for market interventions too,” the government said.
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