Punjab Farmers Get Major Boost as Centre Eases Wheat Purchase Criteria

In a significant relief for farmers, the Central Government has announced relaxation in wheat procurement norms for Punjab. The decision was communicated through an official letter issued by the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, allowing procurement under revised quality standards. The move comes after the Punjab government had written to the Centre on April 9, seeking relaxation in procurement norms due to crop damage. Following similar concessions granted to neighbouring states like Rajasthan and Haryana, the Centre has now extended the same relief to Punjab and the Union Territory of Chandigarh. Officials stated that central teams had collected 291 samples from 22 districts across Punjab. After testing these samples, the Food Corporation of India recommended easing procurement norms, which led to the Centre’s decision. Under the revised guidelines, wheat with up to 70 percent luster loss will now be accepted for procurement. Additionally, the permissible limit for shriveled and broken grains has been increased to 15 percent, while the limit for damaged grains has been raised to 6 percent. The ministry has directed that wheat procured under the relaxed norms should be stored separately. It also clarified that if the quality of such grain deteriorates during storage, the responsibility will lie with the state government. The decision is expected to accelerate procurement across mandis in Punjab, where arrivals have picked up but agencies were hesitant to purchase due to earlier strict quality norms. Notably, recent rainfall had damaged crops spread across nearly 1.30 lakh acres in the state. With this development, both the Punjab government and farmers are likely to benefit, as the relaxation removes a major hurdle in the ongoing procurement process.