'No wheat shortage in India', government after export ban

Two days after the government announced that it was "exploring possibilities for boosting wheat exports", the Centre on Saturday halted exporting the food grain. Asked about the U-turn, Secretary of Agriculture, Manoj Ahuja said all decisions were taken after "proper consultations". - Reports ETV Bharat's Saurabh Sharma

New Delhi:Dramatic fall in output and unregulated exports pushed the government to ban wheat export temporarily, the centre said on Saturday, claiming there was no wheat shortage in the country.

Interacting with the media personnel at the Krishi Bhavan here, Food Secretary, Sudhanshu Pandey said a sudden spike in the global wheat prices played a major role in the decision. Before the ban, India estimated to ship a record 10 million tonnes of wheat this year compared to 7 million tonnes (MT) of wheat it managed to export during 2021-22.

While explaining the rationale behind the ban, Pandey said that estimated production changed in a month and many other nations witnessed a severe crop failure. In some regions of the country, wheat prices have skyrocketed by almost 40 per cent, he said.

The decision to halt the exports comes amid inflation that surged to 7.79 per cent last month and a huge crop loss in several states due to a heatwave in March. However, what baffled all and sundry is that only two days ago, the government had announced that it was "exploring possibilities for boosting wheat exports".

"The Centre will send trade delegations to Morocco, Tunisia, Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, Turkey, Algeria and Lebanon for exploring possibilities of boosting wheat exports from India, an official statement read on May 12.

Asked about the U-turn, Secretary of Agriculture, Manoj Ahuja said all decisions were taken after "proper consultations". "There is no such food shortage in the country and this decision should not merely be read as a ban on the wheat export," he said.

"We'll continue to support and aid our neighbouring and vulnerable countries. Our primary goal is to check inflation and that the government is committed to the food security of neighbours and vulnerable countries," said the officials at the Krishi Bhavan.

“Export will be allowed in case of shipments where an irrevocable letter of credit is issued on or before the date of notification. The export will be allowed on the basis of permission granted by the government of India to other countries to meet their food security needs and based on the request of the governments,” reads the statement from the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT).

The government has also lowered its wheat production estimates by 5.7% to 105 million tonnes from the projected 111.32 MT for the crop year ending June - due to the early onset of summer and record-breaking heatwave.

Also read: India bans wheat exports with immediate effect