The Centre has procured about 900 tonnes of wheat with an early start to procurement in Rajasthan. But it is yet to buy any grain in Madhya Pradesh, according to the official procurement portal. However, sources said in Madhya Pradesh procurement is about 17,000 tonnes after it began on March 15 and in Rajasthan, it has crossed over 3,000 tonnes since it began on March 10.
The attention is more on Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, where the procurement target has been fixed at 60 lakh tonnes (lt) and 20 lt, respectively, due to the bonus over and above the MSP of ₹2,425/quintal announced by both State governments.
The procurement season will begin from April 1, but the Centre has allowed the purchases to start where there has been early arrival of the wheat. According to the Agmarknet portal, the total arrival of wheat at mandis (agriculture market yards) since March 10 was 9.74 lt including 6.62 lt in Madhya Pradesh and about 70,000 tonnes in Rajasthan. However, the entire grains traded on mandis cannot be presumed to be freshly harvested crop, experts said.
Quality norms eased
Besides, the government buys those wheat in Madhya Pradesh when pre-registered farmers bring the grain directly to the purchase centres, unlike in Punjab and Haryana where commission agents are also involved.
Meanwhile, the Centre on March 20 relaxed the quality norm of wheat in Rajasthan after the State government requested for it to ensure a smooth procurement, per the target of 312.7 lt from across the country.
In the order issued by Vishwajeet Haldar, a Joint Commissioner in Union Food Ministry, the government has decided to procure wheat in all districts of Rajasthan under relaxed norms in the Uniform Specifications with retrospective effect starting from March 10 when the Rabi Marketing Season 2025-26 commenced in the State.
The relaxation has come into effect, even as there were reports of good crop across the growing States and it has started fuelling speculation of a possible yield drop leading to production loss.
Referring to the State government’s request on March 10 seeking relaxation due to impact of early heat wave/rainfall on the crop in all the districts, the Centre has said the demand has been approved “in order to reduce the hardship of farmers and to avoid distress sale of wheat”.
Centre’s rider
Under the relaxed norms, limit of shrivelled and broken grains will be upto 20 per cent, against the existing limit of 6 per cent, but, both damaged and slightly damaged grain altogether shall not exceed 6 per cent. The lustre loss in wheat has been relaxed upto 10 per cent.
The Centre has also stipulated that the quantity of foodgrains to be procured under relaxed specifications shall be consumed within the State, and will have to be liquidated on an overriding priority basis.
Further, the State government has been told to stack and account for the Under Relaxed Specifications (URS) wheat separately. “Any deterioration in the quality of wheat stock procured under Relaxed Norms during storage shall be the sole responsibility of the State government,” the Food Ministry said adding any financial or operational implications due to this relaxation will be the responsibility of the State government.
