Ahead of the next wheat harvesting season, which starts from April, India’s Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) has allowed 5 lakh tonnes (lt) of wheat products for export, partially lifting a ban imposed in 2022. However, the move may help the diaspora buy atta, maida and sooji from domestic brands they can easily identify, experts said.
QUOTA DETAILS
“The export of wheat flour and related products under HS Code 1101 – wheat or meslin flour (atta), maida, semolina (ravi/shirgi), wholemeal atta and resultant atta – shall continue to remain ‘prohibited’. However, export to the extent of 4 lt of wheat flour and related products under HS Code 1101, over and above the existing policy conditions, is allowed,” the DGFT said in a notification on January 16.
The DGFT order said that the export authorisation (permit) issued by it will be subject to the modalities notified vide public notice.
The Food Ministry in November 2025 had forwarded an industry demand to the DGFT seeking export of wheat products such as atta, sooji and maida, suggesting that it could start with a cap of 10 lt.
The Roller Flour Millers’ Federation of India had represented to the Food Ministry that permission be granted to export wheat products, as there is a surplus in the country and the production outlook is also strong. Export of wheat was banned from May 2022 and continues, while the prohibition on shipments of wheat products was announced in October 2022.
CHALLENGES AHEAD
Industry sources said many flour mills have come up in West Asia (after India’s ban) to cater to the demand of the 40-million-strong India diaspora worldwide. Allowing wheat products now will help only brands such as Aashirwad, Fortune, or Rajdhani, while millers may not be able to secure any immediate bulk orders from importers or trade sources, they said.
“The government has yet to mention when the permits will be issued and for how long the validity will remain. If the lifting is done by March 31, there is not much time left to export the entire 5 lt. But if export is to be allowed in the next fiscal, too, the quantity should be increased,” a top official of a leading brand said.
Source: The Hindu businessline
Share this content: