Wheat procurement during the ongoing Rabi Marketing Season (RMS) 2023-24 has progressed smoothly. The progressive procurement of wheat in the current season till May 30, 2023, is 262 lakh metric tonnes (LMT) which have already surpassed last year’s total procurement of 188 LMT by 74 LMT. About 21.27 lakh farmers have already participated in the ongoing wheat procurement operations with a minimum support price (MSP) outflow of about Rs.47,000 crores. Major contribution in the procurement has come from three procuring states of Punjab, Madhya Pradesh and Haryana with procurement of 121.27 LMT, Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution, Government of India said in a statement today.
“The major contributing factors in the procurement this year has been the grant of relaxation by the Government of India in quality specifications of wheat affected due to untimely rains; the opening of procurement centres at village and panchayat levels; carrying out procurement through cooperative societies, gram panchayats and arhatias in addition to designated procurement centres for better outreach and permission to engage FPOs (farmer producer organisations) for procurement operations,” the ministry further informed.
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“The rice procurement is also progressing smoothly. A quantity of 385 LMT of rice has been procured till May 30, 2023, during the Kharif Crops of Kharif Marketing Season (KMS) 2022-23 with another 110 LMT yet to be procured. Further, a quantity of 106 LMT rice has been estimated to be procured during the Rabi Crops of KMS 2022-23,” the ministry added.
“The combined stock position of wheat and rice in the Central Pool is over 579 LMT (Wheat 312 LMT and Rice 267 LMT) which has placed the country in a comfortable position to meet its requirements of food grains,” the statement concludes.
