Citing threat to food security, the Government has “prohibited” export of wheat. The decision was taken on Friday, in view of the “sudden spike in the global prices of wheat arising out of many factors”, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry has informed. Significantly, the order came two days after the Government had decided to send trade delegations to a number of countries to explore possibilities of export of wheat.
The global agriculture market has been destabilised by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, a major wheat producing nation that is a big supplier to the European market. Apart from national requirements, the order also cited the requirement of India’s wheat among its neighbours in the region.
Addressing the media, Sudhanshu Pandey, Secretary, Department of Food and Consumer Affairs, referred to several countries like Russia, Kazakhstan, Argentina, Bulgaria, Turkey and Hungary, which have taken measures to restrict the export of wheat, and indicated that it was natural for India to follow with a similar order.
