Rice, wheat procurement remains ‘consistently’ low; House panel raises concern

Expressing interest that existent procurement of atom and wheat has consistently remained beneath estimates successful caller years and beneath targets successful States specified arsenic Bihar, Gujarat, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh, Parliament Standing Committee connected Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution — headed by elder DMK MP Karunanidhi Kanimozhi, has asked the Union Food Ministry to fortify its procurement readying and coordination with States to minimise the spread betwixt estimated and existent procurement of some the nutrient grains.

In a study connected the Demands Demands for Grants of the Department of Food and Public Distribution, the sheet noted that since 2022-23 the procurement of wheat and atom has been little than 30% of the full production. “Moreover, existent procurement of wheat has been 76.71%, 71.35% and 87.29% of the estimation for the years 2023-24, 2024-25 and 2025-26 respectively. Similarly, the existent procurement of atom has been little than people since 2022-23,” the study revealed.

During the Kharif Marketing Season (KMS) of 2024-25, the procurement of atom from Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Punjab has been 25.60 Lakh Metric Tonnes (LMT), 0.003 LMT and 116.13 LMT against the people of 35 LMT, 5.29 LMT and 124 LMT respectively, the sheet said. During the Rabi Marketing Season (RMS) of 2025-26, the procurement of wheat has been little than the people successful the states of Bihar, Gujarat, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh, it added.

The Government told the sheet that immoderate fluctuation successful estimated accumulation and existent accumulation results successful saltation successful procurement. “Procurement depends connected aggregate factors similar production, marketplace surplus, minimum enactment price, prevailing marketplace rates, request proviso concern and information of backstage traders, etc, the Government informed the House panel.

Noting these factors, the sheet asked the Government to fortify its procurement readying and coordination with States to minimise the spread betwixt estimated and existent procurement of wheat and rice. “While noting the Department’s submission that procurement levels are influenced by factors specified arsenic accumulation fluctuations, marketplace surplus, MSP, prevailing marketplace prices, demand–supply conditions and information of backstage traders, the Committee are acrophobic that existent procurement has consistently remained beneath estimates successful caller years and beneath targets successful respective States,” the study said.

The sheet asked the Union Government to reappraisal the methodology utilized for estimating procurement requirements, heighten real-time monitoring of accumulation and marketplace arrivals, and enactment intimately with State Governments — peculiarly successful States wherever procurement has importantly fallen abbreviated of targets — to guarantee that procurement operations are much realistic, responsive and effective. The sheet has asked the authorities to apprise it of the corrective measures taken connected the suggestions from the panel.