Wheat procurement at 262.4 LMT so far in marketing year 2024-25, surpasses previous year's figure: Consumer Affairs Ministry

The procurement of wheat in the Central Pool during the Rabi Marketing Season (RMS) of 2024–25 has reached a total of 262.40 lakh metric tonnes (LMT) so far, surpassing last year's total procurement of 262.02 LMT, according to a press release by the Ministry of Consumer Affairs on Friday, May 24. 

According to the release, the total outflow of Minimum Support Price (MSP) for wheat procurement was Rs 59,715 crore, benefiting a total of 22.31 lakh farmers during RMS 2024–25. 

Five states—Punjab, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh with procurement amounts of 124.26 LMT, 71.49 LMT, 47.78 LMT, 9.66 LMT, and 9.07 LMT, respectively, were the major contributors. 

The release also stated that paddy procurement of 728.42 LMT, which is equivalent to 489.15 LMT of rice, had been procured so far directly from 98.26 lakh farmers during the Kharif Marketing Season (KMS) of 2023–24, with a total MSP outflow of approx. Rs. 1,60,472 crores.

With the above quantity of procurement, the combined stock of wheat and rice at present in Central Pool exceeds 600 LMT, which puts the country in a comfortable position to meet its requirements for food grains under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana, other welfare schemes, and for market interventions too.