New Delhi, Apr 29 : The procurement of wheat by the government agencies touched 13.49 million tonne mark on Tuesday.

During last year, the procurement as on April 29 was 7.77 million tonne with total procurement being at 11.12 MT, a government release said.

The government agencies have procured 7.26 MT of wheat in Punjab and 4.27 MT in Haryana.

Other States where substantial procurement has taken place include Madhya Pradesh (0.79 MT), Uttar Pradesh (0.59 MT) and Rajasthan (0.45 MT).

The Central Government used to start procuring wheat by April, but this year it began only around April 14 as arrivals were delayed due to rains and hailstorms in some of the growing areas in Punjab and Haryana.

Last week, Union Food and Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar had said that this season’s wheat procurement could touch 17-19 mt, while ruling out the need to import wheat this year.

To ensure higher procurement this year, the Central Government increased the minimum support price (MSP) for wheat to Rs 1,000 a quintal. However, farmers in Madhya Pradesh are paid Rs 11,000 in view of the State Government announcing a higher support price there. (ANI)