Centre eases curbs on wheat stock limits

By Zia Haq

The Centre on Wednesday eased restrictions on the quantity of wheat traders can store, a move that comes in the wake of plentiful harvests and procurement of the winter staple.

Bulk traders can now stock 3,000 tonne of wheat at a time, while retailers can hold up to 10 tonne of the grain, a federal notification said.

In February, the government imposed a cap of 260 tonne in case of wholesalers, while retailers were allowed to hold 4 tonne and these restrictions were due for revision on March 31.

The curbs imposed in February on stocks maintained by traders brought changes to existing stock limits at the time.

The government has enforced restrictions on stock limits multiple times since the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, which had sent cereal prices soaring to multi-year highs.

The Removal of Licensing Requirements, Stock Limits and Movement Restrictions on Specified Foodstuffs (Amendment) Order, 2024 was first issued on 24 June 2024. It was revised on 09 September 2024 and next on 11 December 2024 before new limits were set in February 2025.

Lowering stock limits is an administrative measure taken to help boost supplies when prices are high. The Centre has procured nearly 40 million tonnes of wheat till May 22, boosted by a good crop

This article has been republished from The Hindustan Times.