Wheat Procurement Could Increase by 10% to 427 Lakh Tonnes

On record production, wheat procurement is projected to grow 9.56 percent to 427.36 lakh tonne in the 2021-22 rabi marketing season, according to the government. 

Wheat is one of the most important Rabi (winter-sown) crops. Harvesting begins at the end of this month and picks up momentum in April. A meeting of State Food Secretaries was chaired by the Union Secretary, Department of Food & Public Distribution, to discuss the arrangements for wheat procurement in the upcoming Rabi Marketing Season (RMS) 2021-22 and rice (rabi crop) procurement in the upcoming Kharif Marketing Season (KMS) 2020-21. 

A cumulative quantity of 427.363 lakh tonnes wheat has been forecast for procurement during the upcoming RMS 2021-22, according to an official statement. This is 9.56 percent more than the 389.93 lakh tonnes procured during RMS 2020-21. 

Punjab is projected to buy 130 million tonnes of wheat, followed by Madhya Pradesh (135 million tonnes), Haryana (80 million tonnes), and Uttar Pradesh (55 million tonnes). 

Similarly, overall rabi rice procurement is forecast to hit 119.72 lakh tonnes in KMS 2020-21, up 24.43 percent from 96.21 lakh tonnes in KMS 2019-20. 

The procurement of kharif (summer-sown) rice for KMS 2020-21 is currently underway. 

The agriculture ministry issued the second advance estimates for the crop year 2020-21 last month (July-June).  

India's food grain production is projected to grow 2% to 3,033.4 lakh tonnes in the 2020-21 crop year, owing to higher performance of rice, wheat, peas, and coarse cereals due to strong monsoon rains last year. The country's food grain production reached a new peak of 2,975 lakh tonnes in the 2019-20 crop year.  

According to the report, rice production hit a new high of 1,203.2 lakh tonnes, up from 1,188.7 lakh tonnes the previous year. In 2020-21, wheat production is forecast to hit a new peak of 1,092.4 lakh tonnes, up from 1,078.6 lakh tonnes the previous year. 

The Food Corporation of India (FCI) is the central organisation in charge of foodgrain procurement and distribution. To meet the criteria of the food law and other welfare programmes, it buys wheat and rice from farmers at a minimum support price (MSP). 

The National Food Security Act, also known as the food law, was enacted by Parliament in 2013 and provides over 80 crore people with 5 kg of wheat and rice per month at a heavily subsidised rate of Rs 2-3 per kg.