Food Secretary Holds Meeting with State Officials to Discuss Leveraging Cooling Wheat Prices

Food and Public Distribution Secretary Sanjeev Chopra held a video conference with food secretaries from all states in India to discuss ways to ensure citizens benefit from cooling down of wheat prices. The meeting comes after the government imposed stock limits on wheat applicable to wholesalers, traders, retailers, big chain retailers, and processors. The government also decided to offload wheat and rice under the Open Market Sale Scheme to control retail prices of wheat. The imposed stock limits aim to cool down prices and prevent hoarding and speculation. The center has urged states to disclose the stock of wheat with wholesalers, traders, retailers, big chain retailers, and processors, to maintain transparency and prevent any unfair practices. Registration for the auction of wheat is open on the FCI’s e-auction platform. The imposition of stock limits on wheat and the offloading of wheat and rice are part of India’s ongoing efforts to stabilize essential commodity prices. In addition, India has amended the export policy of wheat by putting its export under the prohibited category to meet the food security needs of the country. Last year’s multiple rounds of heat waves in several wheat-growing regions affected crops, and this year, there have been reports of unseasonal rains that have also affected standing crops. The wheat crop is in an advanced maturing stage and is expected to hit mandis soon.