The war in Ukraine and disruption in global wheat supply have resulted in Egypt agreeing to source the grain from India to meet its domestic requirement. Egyptian authorities have put India as one of the origins for the commodity after officials from its Agriculture Quarantine and Pest Risk Analysis wing visited various processing units, port facilities and farms in Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Punjab, an official statement said.
“We want to supply good quality wheat so that we can be a permanent supplier,” food, commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal said. Indian wheat demand has picked up in recent years and the government is seeking to step up exports further with a 50% jump targeted during the current financial year. Morocco, Tunisia, Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, Turkey, Algeria and Lebanon are other countries on the radar with Agricultural and Processed Food Products Exports Development Authority (APEDA) sending delegations to explore the possibility of boosting wheat exports.
“We are aiming to export 3 million tonnes of wheat to Egypt this year,” APEDA chairman M Angamuthu said. In 2021, Egypt imported 6.1 million tonnes (of wheat) with 80% coming from Russia and Ukraine, while India did not figure on the list of accredited countries. The deal with Egypt follows a recent meeting between Goyal with the African nation’s minister for planning and economic development Hala El-Said in Dubai, where India’s readiness to step in to meet the shortfall was discussed.
India’s wheat exports, which went up 3.5 times last year, was driven mostly by the demand from countries such as Bangladesh, UAE, Qatar, Sri Lanka, Oman and Malaysia.
