UP sets new wheat procurement record under CM Yogi government

Under the leadership of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Uttar Pradesh has once again achieved a significant milestone in wheat procurement.

As per an official release, more than 9.26 lakh metric tons of wheat have been procured from over 1.73 lakh farmers in the state as of May 8. This marks a notable increase from the 6.88 lakh metric tons procured during the same period last year.

This year, procurement has taken place from 173,381 farmers, while 446,725 have registered for the Rabi marketing year 2025–26. Over ₹2,045 crore has already been directly transferred into farmers' bank accounts through the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) system. The Minimum Support Price (MSP) for wheat for the 2025–26 Rabi season has been fixed at ₹2,425 per quintal, ensuring farmers receive prompt and fair compensation.

Wheat procurement in Uttar Pradesh began on March 17 and will continue until June 15. The process is being conducted through 5,852 purchase centres across the state.

On a national level, the wheat procurement drive for the 2025–26 Rabi marketing season is progressing smoothly. Against a nationwide target of 312 lakh tonnes, 256.31 lakh tonnes have already been procured for the central pool. This surpasses the previous year's procurement of 205.41 lakh tonnes by the same date, reflecting a 24.78% increase.

Five major wheat-producing states—Punjab, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh—have collectively outperformed last year’s procurement figures. Their respective contributions stand at 103.89 lakh tonnes (Punjab), 65.67 lakh tonnes (Haryana), 67.57 lakh tonnes (Madhya Pradesh), 11.44 lakh tonnes (Rajasthan), and 7.55 lakh tonnes (Uttar Pradesh).

So far, 21.03 lakh farmers across the country have benefited from the procurement drive in the 2025–26 season, with total MSP disbursement amounting to ₹62,155.96 crore.

Officials credit this year’s successful procurement to the proactive measures taken by the Department of Food and Public Distribution. These included early planning with state-specific action plans, awareness campaigns, farmer registration, preparation of procurement centres, and ensuring timely MSP payments.

“The actionable items like awareness generation amongst farmers; registration of farmers; readiness of procurement centres; timely payment of MSP to farmers etc were followed up with the respective states on regular basis through review meetings so that any potential bottlenecks are addressed timely,” the agriculture ministry stated.

In most cases, MSP payments were processed within 24 to 48 hours. Additional steps taken include implementing stockholding limits via the wheat stock portal, granting timely approvals for relaxed FAQ norms, and conducting field visits to ensure real-time assessment and intervention.