Govt purchases 55.17 lakh tonnes wheat

New Delhi: The central government has purchased 55.17 lakh tonnes of wheat from farmers across the country in the ongoing 2019-20 marketing year, while states like Haryana and Madhya Pradesh have contributed the most to wheat procurement so far, according to a senior food ministry official.

However, the government has set the target for wheat procurement at 357 lakh tonnes for the 2019-20 marketing year (April-March) on hopes of a record 1,000 lakh tonne production this year. Last year, the government had procured 358 lakh tonne, surpassing the target of 320 lakh tonne, as the wheat procurement normally starts from April every year.

Food Corporation of India (FCI) and state government agencies buy wheat at the minimum support price to meet the demand of welfare schemes. The government has fixed the wheat minimum support price (MSP) at Rs 1,840 per quintal, up from Rs 1,735 a year earlier.

“We have already purchased 55.17 lakh tonnes of wheat from farmers so far, in which around 28.54 lakh tonnes of wheat has been purchased in Haryana and 18.89 lakh tonnes in Madhya Pradesh in the current marketing year,” the official said.

About 2.90 lakh tonnes of wheat has been procured in Punjab, 2.78 lakh tonnes from Uttar Pradesh and 1.97 lakh tonnes of the grain from Rajasthan. “The wheat procurement has started in Gujarat and is likely to pick up pace in the coming weeks,” the official said.