Chandigarh: The Punjab government has officially announced that wheat procurement for the 2026-27 Rabi marketing season will commence on April 1, 2026. State agriculture officials have projected a robust harvest, with approximately 125 lakh metric tonnes (LMT) of wheat expected to arrive in mandis (wholesale markets) across the state. This significant volume of produce underscores Punjab’s continued role as a major contributor to India’s central food grain pool, despite recent challenges posed by fluctuating weather patterns in the region.
However, the state is currently grappling with a severe storage “space crunch” that could hamper the smooth intake of the new crop. While Punjab has an available storage capacity of roughly 100 LMT, the projected arrival of 125 LMT leaves a deficit of 25 LMT. In response, the Punjab government has formally urged the Union government and the Food Corporation of India (FCI) to expedite the movement of existing grain stocks out of the state to southern and eastern regions to create the necessary additional storage space.
To manage the anticipated influx, the Punjab Mandi Board is finalizing arrangements for basic amenities, including drinking water, electricity, and sanitation, across more than 2,000 purchase centres. Officials have emphasized that timely lifting of the procured wheat from the markets will be crucial to avoiding glut-like situations. Farmers are being encouraged to bring dry and cleaned produce to the mandis to ensure they receive the Minimum Support Price (MSP) without any deductions or delays during the procurement process.
