Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) [India], June 6 (HBTV): Under the leadership of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, the Uttar Pradesh government has set a new record in wheat procurement.

According to an official release, as of May 8, more than 926,000 metric tons of wheat have been procured from over 173,000 farmers in the state, compared to approximately 688,000 metric tons during the same period last year.

The release stated that wheat has been procured from 173,381 farmers this year. A total of 446,725 farmers have registered for the Rabi marketing year 2025–26. More than INR 2,045 crore has already been transferred directly to farmers' bank accounts through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT).

The Minimum Support Price (MSP) for wheat for the 2025–26 Rabi season has been set at INR 2,425 per quintal, ensuring fair and timely compensation for farmers. Wheat procurement began on March 17 and will continue until June 15. The procurement is being carried out through 5,852 purchase centres across the state.

Last week, it was stated that wheat procurement during the Rabi marketing season 2025–26 is progressing smoothly in the major procuring states across the country.

Against an estimated target of 312 lakh tonnes fixed for wheat procurement during the 2025–26 season, 256.31 lakh tonnes have already been procured for the central pool. The quantity procured till April 30 has already surpassed last year's total of 205.41 lakh tonnes on the same date, marking an increase of 24.78 per cent.

All five major wheat procuring states — Punjab, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh — have procured more wheat this year compared to last year. A total of 21.03 lakh farmers have already benefitted during the 2025–26 season, with total MSP disbursal amounting to INR 62,155.96 crore.

The major contributions came from Punjab (103.89 lakh tonnes), Haryana (65.67 lakh tonnes), Madhya Pradesh (67.57 lakh tonnes), Rajasthan (11.44 lakh tonnes), and Uttar Pradesh (7.55 lakh tonnes).

With ample time left in the 2025–26 procurement season, the country is well on course to surpass last year’s wheat procurement figures for the central pool. This positive outcome has been attributed to coordinated efforts by the Department of Food and Public Distribution, which began by preparing state-specific action plans based on learnings from previous years. These plans were shared in advance with state governments.

‘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 a regular basis through review meetings so that any potential bottlenecks are addressed timely,’ the agriculture ministry said.

In most cases, MSP payments were made to farmers within 24 to 48 hours. Other measures taken by the Department of Food and Public Distribution included mandating stockholding limits through the wheat stock portal, granting timely approvals for relaxation of FAQ norms, and conducting field visits to districts for on-ground assessments to facilitate timely interventions.

(ANI)