Ministers review arrangements for wheat procurement in Punjab

Chandigarh, Feb 25 (PTI) A Group of Ministers (GoM) of the Punjab government on Wednesday reviewed arrangements for the upcoming 2026-27 wheat procurement season and directed officials to ensure smooth and transparent operations, safeguarding the interests of all stakeholders.

The GoM comprises Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Gurmeet Singh Khuddian, Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Minister Lal Chand Kataruchak, Water Resources Minister Barinder Kumar Goyal and Transport Minister Laljit Singh Bhullar.

In a review meeting, officials informed the GoM that the procurement season is likely to begin from April 1 and around 132 lakh tonne of wheat is expected to be procured.

The Minimum Support Price (MSP) for wheat has been fixed at Rs 2,585 per quintal. On the issue of storage, the ministers were apprised that the Food Corporation of India (FCI) has been moving 5 lakh tonne of wheat and 5 lakh tonne of rice every month since August 2025.

However, at least 15 lakh tonne of wheat needs to be moved every month to create adequate space for the new crop. The state government has taken up the matter of increasing grain movement with the Centre on several occasions to ensure sufficient storage capacity. To ensure safe storage, the department is considering constructing additional plinths and utilising vacant space in rice mills.

District administrations are regularly reviewing procurement arrangements, while District Food and Supplies Controllers are coordinating with FCI officials to prepare contingency plans.

The government has ordered 3,91,320 plastic crates, of which 2,31,055 have been received and the remaining are expected by March. Orders have also been placed for 6,75,000 wooden crates. The meeting also discussed the demand of arhtiyas to raise their commission from Rs 45 per quintal to Rs 64 per quintal.

The state government has been taking up this issue with the Centre. Reiterating its commitment to ensuring a hassle-free procurement season, the GoM directed officials to maintain transparency at every stage of the process.

Senior officials, including Principal Secretary (Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs) Rahul Tewari and other departmental officers, were present at the meeting. PTI VSD ANU ANU