Government Sets Wheat Procurement Target at 30.3 Million Tonnes

Andra Pardesh, Mar 07 : The Government of India has fixed a wheat procurement target of 30.3 million tonnes for the 2026–27 Rabi Marketing Season (RMS), according to an official statement released on Friday.

The target was finalised during a meeting of State Food Secretaries chaired by the Secretary of the Department of Food and Public Distribution in New Delhi.

Procurement schedule and estimates

Officials said most wheat purchases from farmers are typically carried out between April and June, while procurement of other crops continues throughout the marketing season until March.

For the 2025–26 Rabi crop cycle, paddy procurement has been estimated at about 7.6 million tonnes in rice equivalent. States are also expected to procure around 7,79,000 tonnes of coarse grains, including millets popularly known as Shri Anna.

Wheat output likely to rise

Agriculture officials expect wheat production to exceed last year’s record output of 117.94 million tonnes. With record sowing covering around 33.41 million hectares and favourable weather conditions, output could reach close to 120 million tonnes this year.

Stock position remains comfortable

According to projections, the Food Corporation of India (FCI) is likely to hold around 18.2 million tonnes of wheat in its central pool as of April 1, 2026. Officials said this level of stock would be sufficient to meet domestic consumption and welfare scheme requirements.

Export policy and new initiatives

Earlier this year, the government eased a four-year restriction on wheat exports and approved an initial shipment of 2.5 million tonnes of grain along with 5,00,000 tonnes of wheat products.

Meanwhile, authorities have also started pilot programmes to improve foodgrain quality and distribution. A trial for supplying improved rice with up to 10 percent broken grains is underway in five states.

Additionally, a QR code tagging initiative for foodgrain packaging has already been successfully implemented in Andhra Pradesh, with plans to extend the system to other states in the coming months.