No Immediate Plan To Lift Wheat Export Ban, Says Union Commerce Minister

New Delhi: The Indian government has no immediate plans to lift a ban on wheat exports, Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal told Reuters on Wednesday. However, India will continue with the deals which are struck directly with other governments on request.

India, world’s second-biggest wheat producer, banned overseas sales on May 14 after domestic prices surged to record levels following reduced output due to during a scorching summer.

Global wheat prices, which were already high due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, surged further.

“Currently there’s instability in the world, if we were to do that (lift the ban), it would only help black marketeers, hoarders and speculators. Neither will it help the really vulnerable and needy countries,” Goyal said in an interview at the World Economic Forum in Davos on Wednesday.

“The smarter way to do it is through the government to government route, by which we can give affordable wheat grain to the most vulnerable poor,” Goyal said.

Goyal informed that he had been in contact with World Trade Organisation (WTO) and International Monetary Fund (IMF) to explain India’s wheat export policy.

G7 nations expressed their displeasure about India’s decision and asked them to reconsider the ban.