March 31: Indian government has ordered the mandatory declaration of the stock position of wheat on a weekly basis from April, officials said Saturday.

It has asked traders, wholesalers, retailers, big chain retailers and processors across the South Asian country to declare their stock position of wheat on every Friday from April 1 till further orders, according to a statement issued by the federal Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution.

The move is intended to "manage the overall food security and to prevent hoarding and unscrupulous speculation," said the statement. The Indian government has already issued a similar order for rice.

"Any entity which is not registered on the portal, may register themselves and start disclosing the wheat and rice stock on every Friday. Now, all legal entities have to declare their wheat and rice stock on the portal regularly," the ministry said.

The ministry said its department of food and public distribution has maintained a close watch over the stock position of wheat and rice in a bid to control prices and ensure their easy availability in the country.

India has also restricted export of certain food grains and vegetables to control the price hike in its domestic market. It has had an adverse impact on the prices of items such as wheat, paddy, onions in the market of Nepal, which relies on India for supply of these essential food items. (With inputs from Xinhua)