Government allows some relaxation in wheat export ban, allows 1.67 lakh tonnes to be loaded

New Delhi, May 18: The government has announced some relaxation on wheat exports ban. It has been decided that wherever wheat consignments have been handed over to customs for examination and have been registered into their systems on or prior to 13th of this month such consignments would be allowed to be exported.

The ban on wheat export has left at least 4,000 trucks carrying the food grain stranded outside Deendayal Port at Kandla in Gujarat for want of permission from authorities to load them into vessels, according to port and industry officials.

The Centre has also allowed a wheat consignment headed for Egypt, which was already under loading at the Kandla port. This followed a request by the Egyptian government to permit the wheat cargo to be loaded at the Kandla port. The government decided to permit the full consignment of over 61 thousand MT and allowed it to sail from Kandla to Egypt.

On May 13, the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) issued a notification banning exports of wheat with immediate effect to control price rise.

The government had earlier restricted wheat exports to manage the overall food security situation in India and to support the needs of neighbouring and vulnerable countries that have been adversely affected by the sudden changes in the global market for wheat and became unable to access adequate wheat supplies.

The relaxation came following a request by the Egyptian government seeking India's permission for the wheat cargo that was being loaded at the Kandla port.

Earlier, the government had restricted wheat exports to manage the overall food security situation in India and to support the needs of neighbouring and vulnerable countries that are adversely affected by the sudden changes in the global market for wheat.