After Tuvar Chana, now the announcement of applying storage limit on wheat

24-Jun-2024 03:22 PM

New Delhi. The Central Government had imposed storage limit on Tuvar, Desi Chana and Kabuli Chana last week, while now it has announced to apply it on wheat as well.

This order will be considered effective with immediate effect. It is worth noting that the government is trying to curb the rising prices of wheat and its value added products and especially flour and in this sequence it has decided to impose stock limit on wheat for flour millers, processors and traders / stockists.

According to official sources, there is no shortage of wheat in the country, but still the option of reduction in customs duty on its import has been kept open.

Under the new storage limit order, a maximum limit of 3000 tonnes of wheat has been fixed for wholesalers and 10 tonnes of wheat for retailers.

This storage limit order will be effective from 24 June 2024 and will remain in force till 31 March 2025. This will help in increasing the supply and availability of wheat in the domestic division.

The Union Food Secretary says that the option of removing or abolishing the basic customs duty of 40 percent on wheat imports is open, but it will be used only when it is felt necessary. Selling wheat under the open market sale scheme is also being considered.

During June 2023 to February 2024, the government had fixed a stock of 101.50 lakh tonnes of wheat for sale under the open market sale scheme, out of which about 94.10 lakh tonnes were sold. Wheat is being made available from the buffer stock at a subsidized price to cooperative agencies like NAFED, NCCF and Central Warehousing to sell cheap wheat flour at the rate of Rs 27.50 per kg under the brand name Bharat.