Wholesalers, retailers, processors told to declare wheat stock; stock limit expires on Mar 31: Govt

With stock limit on wheat expiring on Sunday, the government on Friday directed wholesalers, retailers, and processors to declare their stock position of wheat as part of its efforts to prevent hoarding and keep prices under check.The stock limits on wheat were imposed on June 12 last year and was applicable till March 31, 2024 to manage the overall food security and to prevent hoarding and unscrupulous speculation.With effect from April 1, traderswholesalers, retailers, including big chain retailers, and processors in all states and Union Territories UTs, will have to declare their stocks on a portal.

With stock limit on wheat expiring on Sunday, the government on Friday directed wholesalers, retailers, and processors to declare their stock position of wheat as part of its efforts to prevent hoarding and keep prices under check.

The stock limits on wheat were imposed on June 12 last year and was applicable till March 31, 2024 to manage the overall food security and to prevent hoarding and unscrupulous speculation.

With effect from April 1, traders/wholesalers, retailers, including big chain retailers, and processors in all states and Union Territories (UTs), will have to declare their stocks on a portal. Thereafter, they have to declare every Friday. Traders have already been told to declare rice stocks on the portal.

In a statement, the Department of Food and Public Distribution said it is maintaining a close watch on the stock position of wheat and rice to control prices and ensure easy availability of these grains in the domestic market.

To prevent hoarding and unscrupulous speculation, the department said the ''government has decided that traders/wholesalers, retailers, big chain retailers and processors in all states and UTs have to declare their stock position of wheat on the portal (https://evegoils.nic.in/wheat/login.html) with effect from April 1 and then, on every Friday till further orders''.

All the respective legal entities to ensure that stock are regularly and correctly disclosed on the portal, it added.

''Further, wheat stock limit is expiring on March 31, 2024 for all categories of entities in states and UTs. Thereafter, the entities have to disclose the wheat stock on portal,'' said the department, which is under the food and consumer affairs ministry.

The government has pegged wheat output at a record 112.01 million tonnes for the 2023-24 crop year (July-June) as against 110.55 million tonnes in the previous year.

Rice stock declaration by all categories of entities is already in place.

Any entity that is not registered on the portal may register themselves and start disclosing the wheat and rice stock every Friday.

''Now, all legal entities have to declare their wheat and rice stock on the portal regularly,'' it said.

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