The government has set a cautious objective for wheat procurement, aiming to acquire between 30 and 32 million tonnes during the 2024-25 rabi marketing season. This decision to set a lower target comes despite the Ministry of Agriculture's optimistic outlook for a potential record-breaking wheat production of 114-115 million tonnes in the crop year spanning from July 2023 to June 2024.
Following discussions with state food secretaries in a session presided over by Union Food Secretary Sanjeev Chopra in the national capital on Wednesday, the target was established. The ministry, in a statement, reported that after thorough deliberations, the projections for wheat procurement for the upcoming rabi marketing season of 2024-25 were settled within the range of 30-32 million tonnes.
Apart from wheat, the ministry has fixed a rabi paddy procurement target in terms of rice in the range of 9-10 million tonnes. The government has also set a procurement target of 6,00,000 tonnes for rabi coarse grains /millets (Shri Anna).
During the meeting, the Centre urged states and Union Territories to prioritize the procurement of millets as part of efforts to diversify crops and improve nutrition in dietary habits. In the 2023-24 season, the government managed to procure approximately 26.2 million tonnes of wheat, falling short of the target of 34.15 million tonnes. This followed the previous season where wheat procurement stood at merely 18.8 million tonnes against a target of 44.4 million tonnes due to a decline in production.