Mumbai, April 1: In order to curb panic buying among customers amid the coronavirus lockdown in India, the government has allowed FMCG companies and their retail partners to restrict the sale of essential commodities. The matter has been conveyed across retail and trade channels and companies have informed distributors not to hoard essentials, according to an Economic Times report.

A meeting was attended by Hindustan Unilever, Nestle, Marico, Britannia and Procter & Gamble on Monday. Few of the retail biggies informed that they have restricted the quantities of purchases to individual consumers, especially in case of essentials such as rice, edible oils and atta. The companies informed that there is no shortage in supplies and the bottlenecks and delays in supply chains at local levels are in the process of being resolved. Complete Lockdown in India For 21 Days Announced by PM Narendra Modi to Fight Coronavirus, to Come Into Effect From Midnight.

On Sunday, the Home Ministry expanded the list of essential goods to include hygiene products, groceries, handwash, disinfectants, oral care, battery cells and chargers. The nation is in the middle of a 21-days nationwide lockdown imposed to curb the spread of the deadly coronavirus.

The day Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the lockdown, there were huge queues outside shops as people rushed to stock in the essentials. Over the next few days, the government assured that there will be no shortage of essential goods and therefore not to indulge in panic buying, which will lead to more chaos amid the coronavirus outbreak.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 01, 2020 12:24 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).