Wheat prices in India: harvest, procurement and what moves prices
When wheat is harvested and bought at the minimum support price, how flour mills and government open market sales affect prices, how varieties like Sharbati differ, and the latest wheat prices across markets.
What this guide covers
Wheat is India's main rabi crop and the grain behind most of the country's atta. This guide explains where wheat is grown, when it is harvested and bought by the government, how flour mills and government sales affect the market, how varieties differ, and the latest mandi prices across markets.
Where wheat is grown
Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan grow most of India's wheat, followed by Bihar and Gujarat. Punjab and Haryana have the highest yields and send most of their crop to government procurement; Madhya Pradesh is known for premium varieties such as Sharbati, which usually sell above ordinary wheat.
The season
Wheat is sown from about October to December, after the monsoon, and harvested from March to May, earlier in central India and later in the north. Mandi arrivals are heaviest in April and May. Prices are usually softest around the harvest and firm up through the rest of the year as stocks are used, until the next crop arrives. Heat in February and March, when the grain is filling, is the biggest weather risk.
Government procurement
The central government announces a minimum support price (MSP) for wheat before sowing. During the harvest, the Food Corporation of India and state agencies buy wheat at the MSP, mostly in Punjab, Haryana and Madhya Pradesh, for the public distribution system and buffer stocks. In those states a large share of the crop goes to the government, so mandi prices stay close to the MSP during the buying season.
Flour mills and open market sales
Private buyers, above all flour mills making atta, maida and suji, buy the rest. When prices rise, the government can sell wheat from its stocks to millers and traders through open market sales, limit how much traders may hold, or restrict exports. These steps can move prices quickly, independent of the weather.
What the mandi price means
Markets report a minimum, maximum and modal price per quintal for each variety. Grain size and lustre, moisture, broken and shrivelled grains, and the variety itself decide where a lot sells; Sharbati and other premium wheats trade well above the common varieties in the same market.
Varieties and trade names
Mandis report wheat under trade names that vary by region. Dara is a common name in Punjab and Haryana for ordinary milling wheat; Lokwan is a bold-grained wheat popular in Gujarat and Maharashtra; Sharbati, grown in central Madhya Pradesh, is prized for atta and sells at a premium; durum wheat, used for suji and pasta, is grown mainly in central India. A market's price can change a lot depending on which of these it traded that day.
Wheat in Hyderabad and the Telugu states
Telangana and Andhra Pradesh grow very little wheat, so the wheat and atta sold in Hyderabad and other southern cities come mostly from Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and other northern states. Prices in the south therefore follow prices in those states, plus transport and milling costs.
The latest wheat prices
On 14 Oct, the median mandi price of wheat across the markets that reported it that day was ₹2,650 per quintal; 494 markets reported it in the last 30 days. Our wheat page lists every state and market, with the lowest and highest prices and charts.
Week by week
Over the last 8 weeks, the weekly median price moved from ₹2,556 per quintal (week ending 23 Aug 2026) to ₹2,625 per quintal (week ending 11 Oct 2026), a change of +2.7%. Each figure is the median of every price that markets reported that week (Monday to Sunday).
| Week ending | Median price | Markets (busiest day) |
|---|---|---|
| 11 Oct 2026 | ₹2,625 per quintal | 325 |
| 4 Oct 2026 | ₹2,625 per quintal | 335 |
| 27 Sep 2026 | ₹2,615 per quintal | 328 |
| 20 Sep 2026 | ₹2,635 per quintal | 348 |
| 13 Sep 2026 | ₹2,642 per quintal | 343 |
| 6 Sep 2026 | ₹2,629 per quintal | 353 |
| 30 Aug 2026 | ₹2,566 per quintal | 367 |
| 23 Aug 2026 | ₹2,556 per quintal | 385 |
How to read our wheat pages
The wheat page shows the median across India, prices by state, the lowest and highest markets and a long-term chart. State and market pages list each market's prices for the last 30 days, each with the date it was reported.
Common questions
Why does wheat cost more than the MSP in some markets? The MSP is the price at which the government buys fair average quality wheat, a floor rather than a cap. Premium varieties, good grain and markets far from the main producing states usually trade above it, especially months after the harvest.
When are wheat prices usually lowest? Usually around the harvest in April and May, firming through the rest of the year.
How does the mandi price relate to atta prices? Atta is milled wheat, so atta prices follow wheat with a lag, but milling, packing, branding and retail margins make up a large part of the shop price.
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