New Delhi: The Centre on Thursday rejected claims of a ‘glut-like’ situation in Punjab mandis, asserting that wheat arrivals during the ongoing rabi marketing season (RMS) are actually lower than last year while procurement and lifting operations have improved significantly.
Responding to a media report, the government said wheat arrivals in Punjab as of May 6, 2026 stood at around 122 lakh metric tonnes (LMT), compared to 125 LMT during the same period last year.
According to the clarification, arrivals this season are lower by nearly 3 LMT, indicating that the current situation does not reflect excessive inflow of grain into mandis.
The government further stated that wheat lifting from mandis has been faster this year. Progressive lifting as on May 6 reached 78.96 LMT, higher than the 75.63 LMT recorded during the corresponding period in 2025.
Officials said the higher evacuation despite lower arrivals demonstrates better movement of stocks from procurement centres and reduced congestion in mandis.
To streamline procurement operations, the Centre said it has expanded direct delivery mechanisms during the current season. Around 3.5 LMT of wheat was moved directly from mandis in April, while another 6.6 LMT has already been planned for May and nearly 8 LMT is expected to be handled similarly in June. In total, close to 18 LMT of wheat is proposed to be evacuated through direct delivery during the ongoing RMS, based on requests from Punjab authorities.
The government also highlighted that Punjab has received the largest allocation of railway wheat specials for movement of grain across the country. Out of 413 wheat specials placed nationwide in April, 234 were allotted to Punjab.
Similarly, 201 out of 354 wheat specials allocated in May have been earmarked for the state, accounting for nearly 60 per cent of total wheat movement planned across India.
(IANS)
