Following a bumper crop this season, Haryana has broken all its previous records of wheat procurement, with 87.20 lakh MT already procured till Monday. The highest ever wheat procurement in the state was 87.16 lakh MT (metric tonnes) in 2012-13. State’s Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Om Prakash Dhankar told The Indian Express that Haryana had witnessed a bumper wheat crop this year with almost favourable climatic conditions. “This year, we estimated 22 quintals of wheat per acre in comparison to 19-20 quintals during the past few years,” he said. “During this season, farmers in a few areas faced adverse weather conditions, including rains coupled with hailstorms, but that took place only when the crop was almost ready or harvesting season had started,” Dhankar said. Director of food and civil supplies department, Sanjeev Verma, said, “The government has purchased entire wheat brought by the farmers to the grain markets.” Against this year’s procurement of 87.21 lakh MT till now, about 74 lakh MT of wheat had reached mandis in the state last year. This year, the state agencies have procured over 87.20 lakh metric tonnes while the traders have procured 1,214 metric tonnes. Food and supplies department’s joint director Jaipal Singh says, “The area under wheat cultivation, which is about 25 lakh hectares, has almost been same in the state during the past ten years. However, there has been ups and downs in the production of wheat.” Like in 2008-09, the wheat procurement was just 52.37 lakh MT. Meanwhile, an official said wheat procurement work had been completed in 80% grain markets of the state while it continued in 20% of the mandis on Tuesday also.
