Government Enforces Wheat Stockholding Limits to Curb Hoarding

The Indian government has imposed stockholding limits on wheat for retailers, wholesalers, processors, and big-chain retailers to prevent hoarding and stabilize prices. Union Food Secretary Sanjeev Chopra stated that there's no wheat shortage and the measures aim to maintain price stability. Wheat stocks must be disclosed weekly.

The Indian government has implemented stockholding limits on wheat for various market stakeholders starting Monday, to curb hoarding and ensure price stability, according to a senior official on Monday.

Union Food Secretary Sanjeev Chopra announced that single retailers, big-chain retailers, processors, and wholesalers will now have to disclose their wheat stocks every Friday, to dispel rumors of a wheat shortage.

Chopra clarified that there is currently no ban on wheat exports, nor any plans to review the current stance on sugar exports. The stock limit for wholesalers is set at 3,000 tonnes, while processors are limited to 70 percent of their processing capacity.

Big chain retailers face a limit of 10 tonnes per outlet, with an overall cap of 3,000 tonnes, and single retailers are limited to 10 tonnes. This measure responds to media reports of rising essential commodity prices, including wheat.

The opening stock of wheat was 82 lakh metric tonnes (LMT) as of April 1, 2023, compared to 75 LMT in 2024. The government procured 262 LMT last year, and procurement is ongoing with a minor shortage in the opening stock.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)