U.P. on top in wheat output but lags in procurement under MSP

Despite being India’s top wheat producer, Uttar Pradesh has once again fallen behind Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana and even Rajasthan in procuring this food grain under the Minimum Support Price (MSP) system this season, according to the government data.

- Brajendra K Parashar

The state managed to procure just 10.27 lakh metric tonnes (MT) of wheat — less than one-fifth of its 60 lakh MT target — highlighting serious gaps in its procurement strategy and farmer engagement.

According to the Central Food Grains Procurement Portal under the department of food and public distribution, U.P. bought wheat from only 1.43 lakh farmers, disbursing Rs 2,509 crore as MSP. This amounts to a farmer participation rate of just 31%, despite having over 4.6 lakh farmers registered on its procurement portal.

In comparison, Punjab converted over 94% of its 7.71 lakh registered farmers into actual participants, procuring a record 119.19 lakh MT of wheat and releasing Rs 27,779 crore in MSP payments.