Many more countries are interested in buying Indian wheat

India is exploring the possibility of exporting wheat to different countries in this financial year. While it is discussing the quantity and quality of shipments with Egypt and Turkey, Nicaragua and Syria have expressed interest in procuring grain through the government-to-government (G2G) system, according to official sources.

Syria and Nicaragua have requested shipments of 0.3 million tonnes (MT) and 0.1 MT of wheat from India, respectively, the source added.
The government, meanwhile, will send trade delegations to Morocco, Tunisia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, Turkey, Algeria and Lebanon to start / scale wheat exports to these countries.

In the case of G2G grain exports, the National Agriculture Co-operative Marketing Federation of India (Nafed) exports on behalf of the government.
Egypt, one of the world’s largest wheat importers, has already agreed to import wheat from India. The Egyptian authorities have identified India as one of the sources of this strategic product. Wheat exports to Egypt will start soon.

M Angamuthu, chairman of the Agriculture and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), told FE:

India exported a record 7 metric tons of wheat worth $ 2.05 billion in 2021-22. About 50% of the total shipment of wheat was exported to Bangladesh in the last financial year.

The Ministry of Commerce and Industry has already formed a task force on wheat exports with representatives from various ministries including Commerce, Shipping and Railways and has formed exporters under APEDA.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, last week, asked concerned officials to ensure quality standards for the export of food grains and other agricultural products from the country.

“In view of the growing demand for Indian agricultural products, the Prime Minister has directed that all measures be taken to ensure quality and standard so that India develops as a reliable source of food grains and other agricultural products,” an official statement said. .

From the previous estimate of 111 metric tons of wheat production to 105 metric tons of wheat production for the 2021-22 crop year (July-June), India has set a target of a record 10 metric tons of wheat in 2022-23, amid growing global demand for grain.

While cautious on exports, the government is considering several measures to ensure internal supply of wheat. According to the source, the internal availability of wheat is being monitored continuously.

Meanwhile, the Commerce Department plans to hold a series of such sensitive meetings on exports to major wheat growing states like Punjab, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan.

The APEDA held an interactive meeting with various stakeholders including farmers, traders and exporters in Haryana’s Karnal on Wednesday to promote wheat exports and ensure quality shipments, an official statement said.