The Centre has extended the deadline for sale of wheat under the Open market Sale (OMS) scheme till June 30 for bulk buyers from non-wheat producing states like Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.
The scheme, launched in October 2009, was to expire on March 31.
A senior food ministry official said the extra three months had been given to bulk buyers like flour millers and biscuit makers in southern and northeastern states to offload grains stored in Food Corporation of India (FCI) godowns and make space for fresh arrivals that had started coming from April 1.
FCI is facing a space crunch and currently has capacity for only 28.26 million tonnes, according to the official.
To create more space for new crop, the official also mentioned that states in the Northeast and Jammu & Kashmir had been given time till June 30 to lift the stock offered to them for retail distribution.
