India is looking to boost wheat exports amid global food grain scarcity because of the Ukraine conflict

India's central government will send trade delegations to Morocco, Tunisia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, Turkey, Algeria, and Lebanon to discover ways to increase India's wheat exports.

In response to increased global demand for wheat, India has set a target of producing a record 10 million tonnes in 2022-23, the Ministry of Commerce & Industry said on Thursday, announcing the Government move.

According to the Directorate General of Foreign Trade, India exported a record 7 million tonnes (MT) of wheat worth $ 2.05 billion in 2021-22, .

Under the supervision of the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), the Ministry of Commerce & Industry has already established a task force on wheat exports comprising officials from different ministries, including commerce, shipping, and railways, as well as exporters.

This comes due to a global food grain shortage after the Ukraine conflict disrupted about a third of global wheat shipments across the Black Sea.

Recently, Egypt, which is one of the world’s biggest importers of wheat, had agreed to source wheat from India. Egyptian authorities have put India as one of the origins for this strategic commodity.

According to the ministry, Egypt had imported 6.1 MT of wheat in 2021 but India was not part of the list of accredited countries which could 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, the ministry said.

The Department of Commerce plans to hold a series of similar export awareness seminars in important wheat-growing regions, including Punjab, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan.

In Karnal, Haryana, the APEDA held an interactive discussion with different stakeholders, including farmers, dealers, and exporters, to promote wheat export and ensure quality product shipment. In this discussion, experts reviewed prospects and difficulties in the field of wheat export.

According to estimates by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade, 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, the Ministry of Commerce & Industry said.