Despite the onslaught of bad weather that continued till the end of the harvesting season, Punjab has once again become the largest contributor to the national food grain pool.
More than 46 per cent of the total wheat procured by the Food Corporation of India so far is from Punjab. The country’s wheat stocks have already been replenished this year, putting India in a comfortable position in terms of food security.
FCI has procured around 256 Lakh Metric Tonnes (LMT) of wheat so far this year. Out of this, 120.26 LMT was procured from Punjab, which is 24.7 LMT higher than last year’s 95.56 LMT.
Punjab is followed by Madhya Pradesh, which contributed 68.85 LMT wheat to the national pool and Haryana supplied 62.86 LMT. Officials said procurement has already peaked in Punjab and Haryana.
FCI Chairman and Managing Director Ashok Meena said, “We need about 186 LMT wheat for the Public Distribution System (PDS), which we have already received. Currently, we have a stock of over 315 LMT.” As per the FCI buffer norms, around 245.80 LMT wheat is required when the countrywide procurement season ends on July 1. In 2022, the Centre’s wheat procurement is slated to drop to 180 LMT due to high exports and shortfall in production due to prolonged heat wave.
Though FCI got enough wheat to replenish its stocks, private players dominated procurement by offering prices higher than the minimum support price (MSP) in some states. FCI officials said farmers are getting more than the MSP in Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, where less procurement is being done by the agency. Besides, many farmers were not selling their produce in the hope of getting a higher price later, he said.
According to official figures, Uttar Pradesh is the largest wheat producing state in the country, followed by Madhya Pradesh and Punjab.
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