NEW DELHI: The Centre has increased the wheat procurement target to 345 lakh metric tonnes (LMT) amid concerns over lower wheat production caused by higher temperatures, unseasonal rainfall, and hailstorms.
Additionally, the government plans to introduce QR codes on wheat bags to track their movement and combat corruption. The previous target for wheat procurement was set at 300 LMT.
“Following requests from several state governments to raise their procurement targets, we decided to increase the overall procurement,” said Sanjeev Chopra, Secretary of the Department of Food and Public Distribution. So far, the government has procured 164 LMT of wheat.
The revised procurement estimates for Madhya Pradesh have increased from 78 LMT to 100 LMT, and for Uttar Pradesh, the target has gone up from 10 LMT to 25 LMT. Bihar’s target has been adjusted from 0.18 LMT to 1.8 LMT, and Rajasthan’s target has increased from 21 LMT to 25 LMT. The procurement estimates for Punjab and Haryana will remain the same as last year.
Notably, the government has decided to procure wheat from Delhi for the first time in four years. The government also has relaxed grain specifications for farmers.
Chopra emphasised that the current situation resembles that of 2021-22, when an early heatwave negatively impacted crop production. “In 2021-22, procurement was 188 LMT, followed by 240 LMT, then 260 LMT, and last year it reached 300 LMT. This increase was made possible by our early preparations for rabi procurement,” he said.