Centre to send reps to 9 countries to discuss wheat exports

New Delhi: The Centre plans to send delegations to Morocco, Tunisia, Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, Turkey, Algeria, and Lebanon to discuss wheat exports.

In a statement, the commerce and industry ministry on Thursday said India has set a target of a record 10 million tonnes (MT) of wheat exports in 2022-23 amid rising demand globally.

In 2021-22, India exported a record seven MT of wheat worth $2.05 billion. Around 50% of the wheat was exported to Bangladesh. Egypt has imported 6.1 MT of wheat from India.

The Centre has created a task force for wheat exports with representatives from various ministries under the aegis of the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA).

The ministry said farmers, traders, and exporters have been advised to follow quality norms for India to emerge as a reliable global supplier of wheat since there has been a rise in the demand for Indian wheat globally.

The commerce department plans sensitisation meetings on exports in major wheat-growing states such as Punjab, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan.

APEDA separately organised interactive sessions with farmers, traders, and exporters in Haryana’s Karnal to promote quality wheat export.