196 LMT wheat procured so far for central pool, surpasses requirement

As on April 1, 2024 the wheat stock in the Central Pool stood at 75.03 LMT. As per the buffer norms, a stock of 74.6 LMT of wheat is required to be maintained as on April 1 every year. Then on July 1, the buffer requirement is set at 275 LMT.

“The wheat procurement is going on smoothly. Till April 30 evening, 196 LMT wheat procurement has been made, whereas the total requirement of PMGKAY [Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana] and all other welfare schemes of the government of India is just 186 LMT,” Food Corporation of India (FCI) chairman Ashok K K Meena said. FCI is the Centre’s nodal procurement agency.

Of the 196 LMT wheat procured till April 30, Punjab accounted for the highest — 93 LMT. Officials said the daily arrival of wheat in Punjab mandis was 6-7 LMT and, if the trend continued, the wheat procurement could reach 130 LMT this season.

Haryana was next at about 60 LMT, likely to touch 68 LMT by the end of the procurement season.

Madhya Pradesh surprisingly lagged behind and procured only 35 LMT of wheat till April 30, officials said. The state — which has emerged as one of the main contributors to the national food basket in recent years, procuring 128-129 LMT wheat each for two consecutive years during Covid — was eyeing 80 LMT wheat procurement this season. Officials attributed this dip to climatic conditions and procurement by private traders.

The other states that fell short in their procurement targets were Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Rajasthan. According to the officials, just 5.6 LMT of wheat was procured in UP, even lower for Rajasthan (4 LMT) and Bihar (0.06 LMT).

In the financial year 2023-24, the Centre offloaded 101 LMT through open market sale operations to cool down prices.