The procurement of wheat, the primary staple in much of north India, has slowed despite 98 per cent of this season’s crop being harvested, according to latest government figures.
Wheat was planted over 33.417 million hectares (mha) in the Rabi season 2025-26. According to data from the crop division of the Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, 98 per cent of the wheat crop has been harvested as of May 8, 2026. In Uttar Pradesh and Punjab, 98 per cent of the crop has been harvested. In the remaining wheat-growing states, 100 per cent crop has been harvested.
Despite this, wheat is not being procured in the mandis (wholesale markets). According to Food Corporation of India data, the wheat procurement estimate for the Rabi Marketing Season 2026-27 has been kept at 3,44,97,000 tonnes. So far, 2,17,09,470 tonnes of wheat have been procured.
In other words, only about 63 per cent of the estimated procurement has been achieved so far. Wheat procurement in Punjab was estimated at 1.22 crore or 12.2 million tonnes, against which 1,05,14,709 tonnes have been procured so far. That is, Punjab has achieved about 86 per cent of its estimated target.
But Haryana is lagging behind this time. In Haryana, only 25.88 lakh or 2.588 million tonnes of wheat have been procured so far against the estimate of 72 lakh or 7.2 million tonnes, which is about 36 per cent of the target.
In Uttar Pradesh, 12.08 lakh or 1.208 million tonnes of wheat have been procured so far against the estimate of 25 lakh or 2.5 million tonnes, which is about 48 per cent of the target. In Madhya Pradesh, 57.34 lakh or 5.734 million tonnes of wheat have been procured so far against the estimate of 10 million tonnes, which is about 57 per cent of the target.
In Rajasthan, 16.25 lakh or 1.625 million tonnes of wheat have been procured so far against the estimate of 23.50 lakh or 2.350 million tonnes, which is about 69 per cent of the target.
Farmer leader Dharmendra Malik told Down To Earth that due to the high buffer stock, the Centre does not want to buy wheat. Consequently, the government had already reduced the procurement target. Second, production is also expected to be lower this year. However, the government had claimed that wheat production would be higher this year. This is the reason why the government had also opened the export of wheat.
Due to lack of government procurement, wheat is also being purchased from farmers at a lower price. Though Malik claimed that wheat prices will pick up next month, by then most of the wheat will be procured from farmers and will have reached traders.
Even as the government is not buying wheat, farmers are not getting the right price of the crop even in the mandis. The Minimum Support Price (MSP) of wheat is Rs. 2,585 per quintal, while its average price in the mandis is Rs 2,479 per quintal.
Not only wheat, but the wholesale prices of many major agricultural commodities are also running below the MSP. According to the weekly report of the Crop Weather Watch Group (CWWG) under the Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, as on May 11, 2026, the market prices of several crops including paddy, wheat, maize, arhar, pulses and oilseeds have been recorded below the MSP.
According to the data, the average market price of bajra or pearl millet was 25.55 per cent below the MSP. The MSP of bajra is fixed at Rs 2,775 per quintal, while its average price in the mandis was recorded at Rs 2,066 per quintal.
Similarly, the MSP of sunflower is Rs 7,721 per quintal, but it is sold at an average of Rs 5,870 per quintal in the market, which is 23.97 per cent less than the MSP.
Similarly, the MSP of maize is Rs 2,400 per quintal, while the mandi price is recorded at Rs 1,889 per quintal, i.e. 21.29 per cent less. Among pulses, moong was below the MSP by 13.82 per cent. The MSP of moong is Rs 8,768 per quintal, while the market price is recorded at Rs 7,556 per quintal. Urad is down 10.69 per cent and gram is down 9.65 per cent. Paddy (unmilled rice) was also recorded 4.81 per cent below the MSP.