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Union Food Secretary Sanjeev Chopra on Wednesday said the prices of wheat in wholesale and retail markets have come down by about Rs 5 per kg after the Centre's decision to sell 3 million tonnes of the grain in the open market, and asserted that more steps will be taken if required to ease rates. The government is closely monitoring the prices of wheat and atta (wheat flour) and, if needed, will take more steps, including offering more wheat under the Open Market Sale Scheme (OMSS), to bring down the prices and provide relief to consumers, Chopra told reporters here. He said the government is not considering any proposal as of now to lift the ban on wheat exports, which was imposed in May last year after a sharp fall in its procurement. "From the time the OMSS was announced in January, wheat prices have come down. Wheat prices in wholesale markets are ruling less than Rs 2,500 per quintal," he said, and hoped that the prices would fall further in the coming days. The government of
The government on Monday said the price rise in wheat and rice has been "normal" and it will intervene in the market to offload the grains if there is any abnormal increase in the rates. Food Secretary Sudhanshu Pandey, in a press briefing, also said the government has surplus stocks of both wheat and rice in its godowns which will be used for making market intervention. "Price rise is not abnormal as it has been perceived and projected...," Pandey said. Citing the example of wheat, he said the price rise is normal as the last year's wholesale price was depressed as the government sold huge quantities under its Open Market Sale Scheme (OMSS) to bulk consumers, he said. The whole price of wheat was ruling at Rs 2,331 per quintal on October 14, 2021, as against Rs 2,474 per quintal on the same day in 2020, he added. "Therefore, it is not advisable to compare the current year's increase in wheat with last year's. It should be compared with prices that prevailed in 2020," Pandey ...