Wheat procurement to begin April 10; no shortage of gunny bags: CM

Bhopal: Amid concerns raised by the Congress over a delay in wheat procurement, chief minister Mohan Yadav on Sunday said procurement at the Minimum Support Price (MSP) will begin as scheduled across the state.Procurement will start on April 10 in the Bhopal, Indore, Ujjain, and Narmadapuram divisions, and from April 15 in the remaining regions. The CM assured that there is no shortage of jute (gunny) bags and that adequate supplies have been arranged in coordination with central agencies.Reviewing preparedness, Yadav said all registered farmers on the procurement portal will be able to sell their wheat, with priority given to small farmers, followed by medium and large farmers.The state has set up 3,627 procurement centres this year, with 1,904,644 farmers registered for the 2026-27 procurement season, an increase from 1,544,055 last year. The MSP for wheat has been fixed at Rs 2,625 per quintal, along with a state bonus of Rs 40 per quintal. To ensure smooth operations, the govt will establish control rooms at the state and mandi levels, inspect all weighing centres before procurement begins, and upgrade mandi infrastructure in phases. The state estimates wheat procurement at 7.8 million MT this year, requiring around 312,000 bales of gunny bags, which officials say are already in sufficient supply.