The government has procured 1.9 mln tn wheat so far in the marketing year that started on Apr 1, down 7.1% from the purchases in the same period a year ago. The lag in the procurement is largely due to smaller purchase in Madhya Pradesh. The government has bought 1.3 mln tn wheat from Madhya Pradesh, down 18.5% from a year ago. Wheat procurement in the state has been lower due to a smaller crop this yeard. According to the state government’s second advance estimate, wheat output in the state in the year ending June is seen at 15.9 mln tn, down 27.6% from a year ago.