In the primary 5 months of this monetary 12 months — April to August — India exported double the amount of wheat in comparison with the identical length in 2021-22, reliable statistics display. This is notwithstanding a slowing of exports after the unexpected ban introduced with the aid of using the authorities in mid-May.
India exported 43.50 lakh metric tonnes (lmt) of wheat at some stage in April-August 2022-23, which became 116.7 in line with cent greater than the corresponding months closing 12 months, in keeping with Department of Commerce statistics.
Exports have been boosted with the aid of using the Russian invasion of Ukraine in past due February, which caused a first-rate spike in call for for Indian wheat. Exports in April touched 14.seventy one lmt, greater than 500 in line with cent better that the 2.forty two lmt exported in April closing 12 months. After the ban introduced on May 13, exports for that month fell to 10.seventy nine lmt, which, however, became nevertheless 164 in line with cent better than the 4.08 lmt exported in May 2021.
Exports have fallen thereafter — 7.24 lmt in June, 4.ninety four lmt in July, and five.eighty lmt in August in comparison with 4.fifty seven lmt, three.seventy five lmt, and five.22 lmt in June, July and August 2021 respectively.
India exported wheat to forty four international locations in April — the most (three.35 lmt) to Bangladesh and the least to the United Kingdom (2,000 metric tonnes). The variety of country wide export locations fell to 31 in May (Bangladesh became once more on pinnacle), and sharply thereafter following the ban.
India exported wheat to eleven international locations in June 2022, most effective 5 international locations in July (Indonesia, Bangladesh, Korea, the UAE, and Angola), and 8 in August (Bangladesh, the UAE, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Malaysia, Taiwan, and Bhutan).
Indonesia emerged because the pinnacle purchaser of Indian wheat withinside the months after the ban. Of the 18 lmt of wheat exports on this length, approximately 7 lmt went to Indonesia. In the 5-month length from April to August, Indonesia has been the No. 2 export vacation spot for Indian wheat after Bangladesh (8.06 lmt and eleven.12 lmt respectively).
The export of atta (wheat or meslin flour) too has greater than doubled withinside the first 5 months of the present day monetary 12 months — 4.forty nine lmt in comparison with 1.sixty four lmt at some stage in April-August 2021. Somalia, the UAE, Sri Lanka, Madagascar, and Djibouti have been the pinnacle five consumers of Indian flour at some stage in April-August 2022.
The ban on wheat exports got here amid a decrease wheat output of 106 million tonnes, decrease procurement (18.7 million tonnes in comparison to 43.three million tonnes closing 12 months), and growing home prices. However, varieties of shipments have been allowed: exports primarily based totally on permission granted with the aid of using the Centre to different international locations “to satisfy their meals safety needs” and “at the request in their governments”; and gotten smaller exports in opposition to which irrevocable letters of credit score had already been issued.
Prices of wheat and wheat flour withinside the home marketplace have accelerated appreciably of past due. Price statistics at the Department of Consumer Affairs internet site display the all-India every day common retail charge of wheat flour at Rs 36.23 in line with kg on October 15, which became 18 in line with cent better than the charge a 12 months ago (Rs 30.7 in line with kg).