Wheat procurement for the current season has surpassed 30 million tonnes (mt) and is on track to meet the target of 34.5 mt. This marks the first time this year that overall purchases have exceeded last year’s levels after a consistent decline for 40 days since the season commenced on April 1.
As of May 12, 2026, the Centre has procured 30.15 mt of wheat, reflecting a 3 percent increase compared to 29.17 mt during the same period last year. Officials indicated that the decline in Madhya Pradesh may soon be offset, as last year’s figures have remained stable while this year’s purchases will continue through June 30. Notably, the drop of 0.7 mt in Madhya Pradesh has been compensated by a 1.5 mt increase in Haryana.
Recent data shows that procurement in Punjab has reached 12.16 mt, up from 11.79 mt in the previous year, representing a 3 percent increase. The Centre has set a target of 12.2 mt for wheat procurement from Punjab for the 2026-27 season, compared to 11.92 mt bought in 2025-26. It is important to highlight that nearly all of this year’s purchases in Punjab occurred under relaxed quality standards due to widespread lustre loss caused by unseasonal rains and hailstorms.
In Haryana, the Centre has procured approximately 8.46 mt of wheat, exceeding its target of 7.2 mt, showing an increase of 20 percent compared to 7.05 mt last year. For the 2025-26 season, procurement from Haryana stood at 7.14 mt.
Madhya Pradesh has seen significant improvement this month, narrowing the decline from 59 percent until April 30 to just 9 percent as of May 12. The state has procured 7.04 mt as of May 12, down from 7.77 mt last year. The Centre has revised its procurement target for Madhya Pradesh from 7.8 mt to 10 mt in late April. In the previous season, 7.77 mt of wheat was procured from the state.
In Uttar Pradesh, procurement has reached 1.17 mt compared to 0.98 mt last year, while in Rajasthan it has increased to 1.61 mt from 1.55 mt last year. In Bihar, procurement has hit 29,249 tonnes, marking a 76 percent rise from 16,655 tonnes the previous year. The Centre has also adjusted its purchase targets in Uttar Pradesh from 1 mt to 2.5 mt, in Rajasthan from 2.1 mt to 2.35 mt, and in Bihar from 18,000 tonnes to 0.18 mt.
On May 12, the all-India daily arrival of wheat was reported at 0.67 mt, significantly higher than the 0.13 mt reported last year. However, this figure is lower than the 1.08 mt recorded on April 30, contrasting with 0.82 mt last year. There has been a notable reduction in arrivals across all states, except in Madhya Pradesh, where arrivals were nearly 0.5 mt on May 12.
State procuring agencies have been instructed to keep wheat procured under relaxed specifications (URS) stored separately and accounted for. The unseasonal rains in March and April led to increased moisture content in wheat grains, along with issues such as shrinkage and loss of lustre.
Published on May 13, 2026.
