Centre Extends Wheat Procurement Process In Six States Till May 31

Wheat procurement in Rajasthan was set to expire on May 10 and in Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Gujarat, and Himachal Pradesh on May 15.

Representational Image. (Source: Getty Images)

New Delhi: Wheat acquisition in six states, including Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, has been extended till May 31, the Food Ministry announced on Sunday, news agency PTI reporterd.

Wheat procurement in Rajasthan was set to expire on May 10 and in Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Gujarat, and Himachal Pradesh on May 15.

Wheat procurement for the current marketing year 2022-23 began in April. The majority of wheat is harvested in the first few months of the year.

"The Centre has asked wheat producing states and UTs with procurement closing dates expiring early to continue procurement till 31st May, 2022," the Food Ministry was quoted by PTI in its report. 

The Food Corporation of India (FCI) has also been directed to continue with wheat acquisition through the central pool, according to the statement.

Farmers are expected to benefit from the extended period. The decision was made in response to pleas from state governments/UTs to continue the procurement process, according to the statement.

Meanwhile, wheat procurement under the central pool is proceeding well in the states of Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Gujarat, Bihar, and Rajasthan.

According to the ministry, the government's purchase has been lower so far this year, owing to higher market prices than MSP, where farmers have been selling wheat to private merchants.

On May 13, the government limited wheat exports to rein in high wheat prices, save in the event of irrevocable letters of credit and requests from neighboring/food-deficit nations.

The government bought 18 million tonne of wheat through May 14 of the current 2022-23 marketing year, down from 36.7 million tonne the previous year.

The wheat procurement target for this year has been reduced from 44.4 million tonne to 19.5 million tonne.

(With Inputs From PTI)