In a move to safeguard national food security and prevent hoarding and speculative trading, the Government of India has imposed stock limits on wheat for Traders/Wholesalers, Retailers, Big Chain Retailers, and Processors across all States and Union Territories. The new restrictions, issued under the Removal of Licensing Requirements, Stock Limits and Movement Restrictions on Specified Foodstuffs (Amendment) Order, 2025, came into effect on May 27, 2025, and will remain applicable until March 31, 2026.
The stock limits are as follows:
Traders/Wholesalers: 3,000 metric tonnes (MT)
Retailers: 10 MT per retail outlet
Big Chain Retailers: 10 MT per outlet, with a total cap based on the number of outlets
Processors: 70% of Monthly Installed Capacity (MIC) multiplied by the remaining months of FY 2025–26
All stocking entities must declare or update their wheat stock levels every Friday on the wheat stock portal (https://evegoils.nic.in/wsp/login), which will soon migrate to https://foodstock.dfpd.gov.in. Non-compliance or violation of these stock limits will attract penalties under Sections 6 and 7 of the Essential Commodities Act, 1955.
Entities holding stocks above the prescribed limits must reduce their inventory to permissible levels within 15 days of the order's issuance. Both Central and State Government officials will monitor compliance closely to prevent artificial scarcity.
The Centre has so far procured 298.17 lakh metric tonnes (LMT) of wheat as of May 27, 2025, through State agencies and the Food Corporation of India (FCI). This stockpile is deemed adequate to meet the country’s requirements under the Public Distribution System (PDS), Other Welfare Schemes (OWS), and market intervention efforts. The Department of Food and Public Distribution continues to keep a close watch on wheat stock levels to stabilize prices and ensure steady availability.