The Centre’s wheat procurement declined by 44 per cent to 162 lakh tonnes till May 1 of the current Rabi marketing year on higher exports and low arrival in Punjab and Haryana mandis (marketyards), according to official sources. 

According to the latest official data, about 162 lakh tonnes of wheat have been purchased by the government agencies till May 1 of the ongoing 2022-23 Rabi marketing season. It was 288 lakh tonnes in the year-ago period. 

Around 14.70 lakh farmers have benefitted from the procurement at the minimum support price (MSP) value of Rs 32,633.71 crore, the data showed. 

The Rabi marketing season runs from April to March, but the bulk procurement ends by June. 

State-owned Food Corporation of India (FCI) and State agencies undertake procurement at an MSP to meet the requirement under the Public Distribution System (PDS) and other welfare schemes. 

The Centre has set a target to procure record 444 lakh tonnes of wheat in the 2022-23 marketing year as against an all-time high 433.44 lakh tonnes in the previous marketing year. 

The fall in the government wheat buying, the official sources said, was mainly due to increased private purchase for the export as well as lower crop yields, especially in Punjab and Haryana, because of the sudden rise in temperature. 

About 9.63 lakh tonnes of wheat had been exported by private players till April 21 this year, as against 1.3 lakh tonnes in the year-ago period, the sources said.