India expands state wheat procurement to support farmers

The Indian government has increased its wheat procurement target under the Minimum Support Price (MSP) program by 15% to 34.5 mln tons for the current season, up from the previous target of 30 mln tons. The move is intended to support farmers whose crops were damaged by unseasonal rainfall.

The announcement was made by Food Secretary Sanjeev Chopra during the presentation of the annual wheat survey by the Roller Flour Millers’ Federation of India. He said the government had also raised procurement targets across key producing states. Procurement is now expected to reach 10 mln tons in Madhya Pradesh, 2.5 mln tons in Uttar Pradesh, 2.35 mln tons in Rajasthan, with smaller volumes to be purchased in Uttarakhand and Delhi.

To facilitate higher procurement, the government has relaxed wheat quality standards in major producing states, including Punjab, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. The measure will allow state agencies to purchase grain affected by unseasonal rains.

According to the government, the higher procurement volume will help build opening wheat stocks of around 22 mln tons for the 2026/27 marketing year. Total wheat availability, including new purchases, is expected to reach approximately 56.5 mln tons.

At the same time, the government expects India’s 2025/26 wheat production to be slightly lower than previously anticipated, at 110–120 mln tons. The downgrade reflects crop losses caused by unseasonal rainfall and hailstorms in key wheat-growing regions.

Tags: wheat, India