Centre Relaxes Sugar Stockholding Cap for Bulk Consumers to 30 Days via Imported Quotas

In a strategic move to ensure uninterrupted raw material availability for food processing industries ahead of the upcoming festival season, the Union Government has relaxed the sugar stockholding limits for bulk consumers. Under the revised guidelines issued on September 18, 2026, industrial units consuming over 10 metric tonnes of sugar per month are permitted to hold up to 30 days' worth of stock, doubling the previous 15-day restriction.

However, the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution has imposed a clear condition: the additional 15-day inventory must be sourced exclusively from imported sugar under the Advance Authorisation Scheme (AAS) or the Tariff Rate Quota (TRQ). Purchasing sugar from the domestic open market remains strictly restricted to 15 days of consumption to prevent domestic hoarding and safeguard retail supplies.

To ensure complete market transparency, the government has mandated that bulk consumers declare and submit weekly updates on their sugar inventory every Friday through the dedicated portal foodstock.dfpd.gov.in. With retail sugar prices declining by approximately 10 percent, authorities have urged wholesalers and retailers to pass on the benefits of lower ex-mill prices directly to consumers, striking a balance between industrial requirements and household price stability.