Govt to sell 3 mn tonnes of wheat from buffer stock to curb price hike

The government will sell 30 lakh tonnes of wheat in the open market from its buffer stock to control rise in prices of wheat and wheat flour (atta), sources said.

The average prices of atta have risen to around Rs 38 per kg.

The food ministry will offload 30 lakh tonnes of wheat under the Open Market Sale Scheme (OMSS), they said.

Wheat stocks will be sold to flour millers and traders among others.

On January 19, Food Secretary Sanjeev Chopra had said the retail prices of wheat and wheat flour (atta) have increased and the government will soon take measures to control the rising rates.

Under the OMSS policy, the government allows state-run Food Corporation of India (FCI) to sell food grains, especially wheat and rice, at pre-determined prices in the open market from time to time to bulk consumers and private traders.

The purpose is to boost the supply during the lean season and moderate the general open market prices.

Even the flour millers have demanded the government to offloa