(MENAFN- KNN India) New Delhi, Nov 15 (KNN) The Union Food Ministry has recommended that the Commerce Ministry consider allowing limited exports of wheat-based products such as atta, sooji and maida, which have been under an export ban since 2022.

In an office memorandum dated November 12, the Ministry asked the Directorate-General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) to take appropriate action on a proposal from the Roller Flour Millers' Federation of India seeking permission to export up to 1 million tonnes (mt) initially, reported BL.

The industry body, citing ample domestic availability, said the country currently has a surplus of wheat and a strong production outlook.

India's wheat output reached a record 117.54 mt in 2024–25, and the government has set a target of 119 mt for 2025–26. As of November 7, wheat had been sown over 22.72 lakh hectares, more than double the 9.98 lakh hectares recorded a year earlier, according to Agriculture Ministry data.

Government procurement from the 2024–25 harvest stood at 30 mt, the highest in four years.

The export ban on wheat and wheat products since 2022 has helped stabilise domestic prices, except for brief fluctuations.

Current retail prices average Rs 31.7 per kg for wheat and Rs 37.02 per kg for atta-about 3–4 percent higher than the same period three years ago, despite a 22 percent increase in the minimum support price over the past four years.

Industry representatives said the move, though delayed, could still provide relief to millers. They noted that several flour mills have been established in the Middle East since 2022 to meet demand from the 40-million strong Indian diaspora.

Allowing exports, they said, could help revive Indian brands that previously served overseas markets, as diaspora communities prefer familiar domestic products.

A former senior official of the millers' federation estimated that if a 1 mt export cap is approved, 0.4–0.5 mt of wheat products could be shipped in the current financial year.

(KNN Bureau)

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