KARNATAKA HUBBALLI 29/8/25
Union minister for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Pralhad Joshi addressed a press conference in Hubballi on Thursday. KIRAN BAKALE
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KIRAN BAKALE
India’s Food Minister Pralhad Joshi on Wednesday rejected a demand to allow wheat export, saying it would be assessed only after new crop arrives next year. Even for permitting export of wheat products, Joshi said there is no such plan for now.
Addressing the annual general meeting of the Roller Flour Millers’ Federation of India in New Delhi, the Minister told the members of the industry body to work towards increasing the area under wheat as demand has been rising steadily.
Pointing out that atta (wheat flour) export is permitted but under the Advance Import Authorisation scheme, Navneet Chitlangia, President of the Association, said the time has come to allow export of wheat products in a phased manner.
“As we have surplus wheat stock available now, we request for a phase-wise liberation of wheat products exports such as atta, maida (refined flour), and suji (semolina). We suggest beginning with a minimum quantity of 1 million tonnes (mt) to leverage global markets while safeguarding domestic requirements,” Chitlangia said.
Lack of parity
Opening up wheat products exports freely will allow the industry to tap global markets again, give farmers better price realisation and position India as a trusted global supplier, he said.
Though there is no parity of Indian wheat with the current global price, which is $80-90 per tonne cheaper, the government should allow wheat products export for the Indian diaspora living abroad, said a flour miller. He said some mills have come up in the Middle East after India banned wheat and wheat products export in 2022 and those are producing atta only for the Indian community around the world.
Joshi, on the other hand, also said there are multiple ministries involved in the (ban on) export decision, and the government will also have to take into consideration next year’s wheat production, which will be harvested from April 2026.
He said he would consider their demand, keeping consumer interest and food security in mind. “You are asking for export. We will see. We cannot assure as our top priority is food security,” Joshi said. Later, on the sidelines, he said there is no plan for now to allow export of atta.
Hiking buffer stock
India, the world’s second-largest wheat producer, banned exports of wheat grain and subsequently wheat products in 2022 due to concerns over lower output, fall in government’s procurement and rising inflation. The Agriculture Ministry’s estimates for 2024-25 show record wheat production of 117.51 mt.
The federation urged the Centre to maintain adequate stock levels to enable timely interventions and ensure price stability as government reserves play a critical role in stabilizing market prices.
“We seek long-term clarity on the Government’s Wheat Policy especially the open market sale scheme (OMSS) policy,” Chitlangia said.
Asked about the demand to raise buffer stock, he told media that it should be one year of requirement for the public distribution system (PDS) scheme, estimated at 18 mt.
Among other demands, the flour millers’ federation sought a comprehensive study be undertaken on the impact of DDGS (Dried Distillers Grains with Solubles) on cattle health and milk quality, removal of GST on household consumer pack sizes of atta, maida, and suji (up to 25 kg) from the current 5 per cent rate and GST reduction from prevailing 18 per cent to 5 per cent in flour milling machinery and wheat storage silos.
Published on September 24, 2025