New Delhi. The Center has tightened the wheat stock limit for traders, wholesalers, large retail chains and processors. Its aim is to curb price rise and hoarding. This revised stock limit on wheat comes barely two months after the stock limit was imposed on June 24. These restrictions will remain in force in all states and union territories till March 31, 2025. Under the revised rules, traders and wholesalers are now allowed to stock up to 2,000 tonnes, while earlier this limit was 3,000 tonnes, a government statement said.
Large retail chain dealers can stock up to “10 tonnes of wheat at each point of sale and 10 times the total number of points of sale” across all their depots. Earlier, there was no restriction on them to stock wheat based on the number of points of sale. For processors, the limit has been reduced to 60 per cent of their monthly installed capacity (MIC). Till now, it was 70 per cent. The stock limit for individual retailers has been kept unchanged, that is, they can stock up to 10 tonnes of wheat.
The government has mandated all entities to declare their stock position and update it regularly on the Department of Food and Public Distribution’s portal “https:// evgoils.nic.in/wsp/login”. Those holding stocks in excess of the prescribed limit have been given 15 days to comply with the new norms. Both central and state authorities will closely monitor the enforcement of these stock limits to ensure that “no artificial shortage of wheat” is created in the country, the statement said.
