India: Wheat stock limit fixed till Mar ’26 amid bumper crop

The Centre on Wednesday imposed a stock limit on wheat until March 31, 2026 amid claims of bumper production in the current Rabi marketing season compared to the past three years. Bulk traders can now stock 3,000 metric tones (MT), while retailers can hold up to 10 MT of the grain, a Centre’s notification said.

For millers and processors, the government allowed a stock limit of 70% of the monthly installed capacity multiplied by the remaining months. The order directed the commercial entities to declare the stock position on the portal created by the department of food and public distribution.

It also said that in case any entity stocked higher than the prescribed limits, they should bring it down to the specified limit within 15 days of issuing the notification. They should ensure that wheat stock is regularly declared.

Recently, the government said food inflation is at its lowest level in six years, and that it may consider removing the export ban. However, government officials said the wheat procurement has not reached the given target despite an all-out effort. So far the government procured 298.17 LMT wheat against the target of 332.7 LMT.

Like in previous years, the contribution of Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, and Rajasthan dominated the procurement season. However, the UP contributed only around 10 LMT against the target of 30 LMT. Bihar contributed nearly 18,000 tonnes against 2 LMT.

“The lower contribution from Uttar Pradesh has hit the total procurement,” said a senior official at the ministry.