Sluggish wheat procurement in Madhya Pradesh drags down India’s Central pool sourcing by 16%
India’s wheat procurement is lagging in 2026-27, mainly due to slow progress in Madhya Pradesh. Total procurement is 16% lower year-on-year, despite steady performance in Punjab and Haryana, raising concerns over meeting targets and addressing farmer issues nationwide.
With its sluggish pace in Madhya Pradesh, the overall wheat procurement in the country has been significantly lower during the ongoing rabi marketing season 2026-27 as compared to last year.
MP is the second biggest contributor to the Central pool maintained by the government to distribute food grain under the National Food Security Act, 2013.
Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has recently flagged the challenges being faced by farmers in his home state during procurement. On Tuesday, Chouhan chaired a meeting, via video conferencing, and reviewed wheat procurement operations in his Parliamentary constituency of Vidisha, which comprises four districts — Vidisha, Raisen, Sehore, and Dewas.
During the meeting, Chouhan issued directives and said that problems faced by farmers “must be addressed and resolved immediately through coordination.”
According to Food Ministry sources, as of April 20, the procurement of 114.29 lakh metric tonnes of wheat has been reported across 10 major states. This is about 38% of the current year’s overall target of 303 lakh metric tonnes and 16% lower as compared to the quantity procured (135 lakh metric tonnes) in the corresponding period last year.
Punjab, MP and Haryana are the three major contributors of wheat to the Central pool, with the procurement figures reaching 119.19 LMT, 77.74 LMT, and 71.43 LMT, respectively, last year.
Wheat procurement operations began in Punjab and Haryana on April 1, and in MP on March 15. This year, Punjab and Haryana have kept the pace of wheat procurement so far, with both states being able to procure 91% and 70%, respectively, of total quantity arrival at the procurement centre.
However, the pace has been relatively sluggish in MP. According to sources, MP has reported a procurement of 7.25 LMT of wheat against the arrival of 15.66 LMT as of April 20 this year, which is about 85% lower as compared to the quantity (47 LMT) procured during the corresponding period last year.
Chauhan also directed the officials concerned that issues related to “slot booking, registration, and verification be resolved on a priority basis.”
The pace of procurement has been reported to be lower in Uttar Pradesh as well. Despite being the biggest producer, UP’s contribution to the wheat procured for the Central pool has remained low over the years. Last year, a quantity of just 10.27 LMT of wheat was procured from the state. This year, the state has reported procurement of just 2.74 LMT of wheat as of April 20, which is almost 40% lower than the quantity (4.54 LMT) procured during the corresponding period last year. This year, wheat procurement in UP began on March 17.
According to sources, the issue of wheat procurement figured during the meeting of UP’s Food and Civil Supplies Minister Satish Chandra Sharma with Union Food Minister Pralhad Joshi on Wednesday.
Joshi also chaired a meeting with the senior officials of his ministry and the Food Corporation of India (FCI) on Wednesday.
“States like Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Bihar, Uttarakhand and Delhi have requested the central govt for enhanced targets,” Joshi posted on X.
The overall wheat acreage in the country in rabi 2026 has increased to about 334.17 lakh hectares compared to 328.04 lakh hectares last year.
As per the second advance estimate of production of food grains for 2025-26, wheat production is likely to reach 120 million metric tonnes — up from 117 million metric tonnes recorded in 2024-25.
As per the buffer norms, a stock of 74.6 LMT of wheat is required to be maintained as of April 1 every year. Then, on July 1, the buffer requirement is set at 275 LMT.
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Source : The Indian Express
