New Delhi, May 12 (Agency) The government will send trade delegations to Morocco, Tunisia, Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, Turkey, Algeria and Lebanon for exploring possibilities of boosting wheat exports from India, Commerce and Industry Ministry said on Thursday. Amid wheat shortage in the wake of Russia-Ukraine war, India is looking at exporting 10 million tonnes of wheat in 2022-23. According to estimates by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT), India has exported a record 7 million tonne (MT) of wheat in 2021-22 which is valued at $ 2.05 billion.
Out of the total shipment around 50% of wheat was exported to Bangladesh in the last fiscal. Commerce Ministry has already set up a task force on wheat exports with representatives from various ministries, including Commerce, Shipping and Railways, and exporters under the aegis of the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA). It has also planned to organise a series of sensitization meetings on exports in major wheat growing states such as Punjab, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan. “We are extending our support to all the stakeholders in the wheat exports value chain for boosting shipment from the country,” said M Angamuthu, Chairman, Agricultural and Processed Food Products Exports Development Authority (APEDA).
Recently, Egypt agreed to source wheat from India. Egyptian authorities have put India as one of the origins for this strategic commodity. Egypt imported 6.1 MT of wheat in 2021 and India was not part of the list of accredited countries which can export wheat to Egypt. More than 80% of Egypt’s wheat imports estimated to be close to $ 2 billion in 2021 were from Russia and Ukraine. “APEDA has already communicated to exporters to register with Egypt’s public procurement agency – General Authority of Supplies and Commodities, which manages wheat and sugar imports to the north African country,” Commerce Ministry said.