Wheat procurement to resume in Punjab after temporary suspension; following Rajasthan, Punjab expects relaxation from the Centre
Kanwar Inder Singh/ royalpatiala.in News/ April 13,2026
Today, after assurance from senior officials regarding the safety of field staff until relaxation of procurement specifications is received, the Joint Coordination Committee of State Procurement Agencies, Punjab, has decided to resume the procurement of wheat from April 14, 2026.
On April 11, 2026, the Joint Coordination Committee of State Procurement Agencies, Punjab, had announced its decision to suspend wheat procurement until its demands were met.
Confirming the development, Vinay Sharma, President of the PSWC Field Staff Union, Punjab, said, “Today, a virtual meeting was held with senior officials of the procurement agencies, where we jointly raised our safety concerns and apprehensions regarding possible harm to field staff by farmers whose crops are not purchased due to lustre loss or shrivelled grains. The senior officials assured us of our safety and stated that district administration and local police would be directed to deploy law enforcement personnel in the mandis so that procurement officials feel safe while performing their duties.”
He further added, “We, the members of the Joint Coordination Committee of State Procurement Agencies, Punjab, comprising MARKFED, PUNGRIAN, PUNSUP, and the Warehousing Corporation, have agreed to resume procurement as per FAQ (Fair Average Quality) standards and not under any political or other pressure. We will procure every grain from the market that meets the specifications. If the Central Government issues a letter regarding relaxation of specifications, we will lift the affected crop under relaxed norms until the last grain from the mandis is procured.”
A field officer, on the condition of anonymity, said, “In today’s meeting with senior officials of the procurement agencies, it was conveyed that only wheat meeting FAQ norms will be procured. If any staff member is unnecessarily harassed in the mandis, senior officials of the department will stand with that colleague. Regarding URS wheat and storage gain, after the report of Central Teams, coordination will be done with FCI, and the department will strongly present the case of field staff so that they do not face difficulties in the future.”
Another official said, “Our lives remain at high risk. If we purchase one heap and leave another that does not meet specifications, farmers feel offended and make allegations of favoritism, corruption, or political alignment. On the other hand, if we procure non-FAQ (Fair Average Quality) crops, department, vigilance initiates inquiries against us. So, we are at a loss in both cases.”
Meanwhile, the Department of Food and Public Distribution, Government of India, has issued a letter to the Rajasthan Government relaxing the limit of lustre loss in wheat up to 50% across the entire state of Rajasthan.
As per orders dated April 9, 2026, the government has relaxed the limit of shrivelled and broken grains up to 15%, against the existing limit of 6% under uniform specifications in the entire state of Rajasthan. The government has instructed that damaged and slightly damaged grains combined shall not exceed 6%. Wheat procured under relaxed specifications shall be stacked and accounted for separately. Any deterioration in the quality of wheat stock procured under relaxed norms during storage shall be the sole responsibility of the State Government of Rajasthan. Wheat stocks procured under relaxed specifications will be liquidated on an overriding priority basis. The quantity of food grains procured under relaxed specifications shall be consumed within the state. Any financial or operational implications due to this relaxation will be the responsibility of the State Government.
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