Wheat procurement slows in India despite near-complete harvest

Government wheat procurement in India has slowed significantly despite the near completion of the 2025/26 harvest campaign. According to the country’s Ministry of Agriculture, around 98% of the wheat crop has already been harvested, but a large share of grain has yet to be purchased by state agencies.

Wheat was planted on more than 33.4 million hectares this season. The government had projected wheat procurement for the 2026/27 marketing season at nearly 34.5 million tons, but actual purchases have so far reached only about 21.7 million tons, or roughly 63% of the target.

Punjab has shown the strongest procurement performance, achieving about 86% of its target. However, several other major wheat-producing states are lagging behind. Procurement in Haryana has reached only 36% of the planned volume, while Uttar Pradesh has achieved around 48%. Madhya Pradesh has completed about 57% of its procurement target.

Due to weak government buying, farmers are being forced to sell wheat below the Minimum Support Price (MSP). The average wholesale market price currently stands at around 2,479 rupees per quintal, compared to the official MSP of 2,585 rupees. Prices for maize, sunflower, rice and several pulse crops are also trading below government support levels.

Farmer organizations say the government deliberately reduced procurement because of large grain reserves already held in state stocks. According to industry representatives, this is putting pressure on domestic prices and forcing farmers to sell their harvest to private traders at reduced rates.

Tags: wheat, India