The government had 15.2 mln tn of wheat in its reserves as of Mar 1, up 61.7% from a year ago. The steep rise in wheat stocks can be attributed to robust procurement in 2017-18 (Apr-Mar) following record high output in 2016-17 (Jul-Jun). The government procured 30.8 mln tn wheat this marketing year, up 35% from a year ago, after farmers in the country harvested 98.4 mln tn of the food grain in 2016-17.