New Delhi: Despite the harvesting of India’s bumper wheat, it formally announced the world trade organization (WTO) that it does not increase wheat exports and will cite concerns about food safety for its own population and vulnerable and neighboring countries.
Tuesday by the WTO Agriculture Committee. On Wednesday, India was spreading on Wednesday, saying that its temporary ban on wheat exports, first stored in May 2022, remains introduced as a result of persistent volatility of global wheat prices and to ensure domestic availability.
India said that it “imposed a temporary ban on wheat export by changing policy from” free “to” forbidden “in accordance with Article XI: 2 (a). A) Gatt 1994 and Article 12.1 Agriculture Agreement ”.
India, however, maintained a window open to humanitarian or diplomatic exceptions, stating that wheat exports can be allowed to countries for specific government requests to meet their food security needs.
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Earlier, Mint 21st May reported that the government would not lift the ban on the export of wheat and wheat product, prioritizing price stability during the upcoming festival and state parliamentary term.
The government expects wheat production to increase by 2% to a record 115.4 million tonnes (MT) in the 2024-25 season, mainly because of the higher area.
“Wheat is a basic meal for millions and ensuring its availability at affordable prices is essential,” India said. “Several factors have caused the worldwide price of volatile wheat, thus jeopardizing food safety in India, neighboring countries and vulnerable countries,” he said.
Measures, effective from May 13, 2022, have been introduced in response to a combination of geopolitical tension, problems with the production of climate -induced and growing global demand that led to a sharp escalation of worldwide wheat prices around the world.
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India is one of the best wheat producers around the world, but is not the main exporter. However, the country’s decision to reduce outgoing consignments at the first announcement, especially in the middle of the global deficiency induced by the Russian-Ukraja War, which disrupted reserves from the Black Sea area.
In FY23 India exported 4.7 MT wheat worth $ 1.52 billion. However, exports fell significantly to 0.19 MT in FY24 and 2,749 tons during April-February 2024-25, according to data from the Ministry of Commerce.
Only limited quantities have been allowed from the prohibition through diplomatic channels and from humanitarian reasons.
The notification did not provide a specific end date for the measures, not only remarked that it would remain until the conditions require them to continue.
Despite the objectives of the order of contracts, the Government leads carefully to avoid induction of retail inflation of food, which is currently the lowest, prior to public opinion surveys.
Before the ban on India, wheat and wheat products were exported mainly to South Asia, Western Asia and Africa. Among the best buyers were Bangladesh, Indonesia, Sae, Sri Lanka, Kenya, Jibutism and Somalia. In addition, Nepal, Bhutan and Gulf nations as Oman and Qatar were key importers of processed wheat products.
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