On Saturday, the second largest wheat producing country in the world banned the export of wheat to maintain its food security, according to a report published by the Network.Fox News“American.
The Director-General of External Trade in India, Santosh Kumar Sarangi, signed the export ban, and pointed out that the “sudden rise” in world prices of wheat puts India and other countries at risk, according to the decision published in the Official Gazette on Friday.
The decision allows the export of wheat from India in the event that there are agreed shipments with irrevocable credits before the date of the decision, provided that it is linked to a permission granted by the Government of India to some countries to meet their food security needs, according to the report.
The report notes that although India is the second largest producer of wheat in the world, it consumes most of the quantities it produces.
He added that India had set a goal of exporting 10 million tons of wheat during the years 2022 to 2023, the majority of which would go to Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand.
India’s wheat crop suffered from record temperatures, and its stocks came under pressure due to free grain distributions during the Corona pandemic.
World wheat prices have risen by more than 40 percent since the beginning of 2022.
At a meeting in Stuttgart, Germany, Saturday, agriculture ministers of the Group of Seven criticized India’s decision, which comes at a time when global wheat markets are experiencing great tension due to the conflict in Ukraine, according to an AFP report.
“If everyone starts imposing such restrictions on exports or even close markets, it will only exacerbate the crisis and harm India and its farmers,” German Agriculture Minister Jim Ozdemir announced following a meeting with his counterparts.
“We have decided to reject export restrictions and call for markets to be kept open. We call on India to shoulder its responsibilities as a member state of the G20,” he added.
The Russian military attack on Ukraine, which began on February 24, seriously affected agricultural activity in the countryside of this country, which before the invasion was the fourth largest global exporter of corn and would have become the third largest exporter of wheat.
Because of the blockade imposed on the country’s ports, there are regarding 20 tons of grain in silos waiting to be exported and this year’s crop is under threat.
High prices and food shortages threaten the risk of famine and social unrest, especially in poor countries that import their grain needs in large quantities.
