The G7 group has condemned India's move. India has banned the export of wheat with immediate effect as part of measures to control rising prices domestically.
What do the figures say ?
The government has estimated wheat production to decline by 5.7 per cent to 105 million tonnes in 2021-22, down from the earlier estimate of 11132 million tonnes. India's wheat production in 2020-21 has been 10.59 million tonnes. In the last financial year, the country had exported 7 million tonnes of wheat and this year the plan was to export 10 million tonnes.PM Narendra Modi had made a statement that India is fully prepared to supply food stocks to the world from Sunday if the WTO allows. But contrary to his statement, the Prime Minister on Sunday banned the export of wheat.
Signs of food crisis in the world:
India's wheat experts, unhappy with the ban, G7 countries, and Germany may face a food crisis in the world.There is a reaction from all over the world regarding this decision of India. After the ban on wheat exports, the G7 group has condemned India's move. Germany's Agriculture Minister Kem Ozdemir said that India's move will increase the food crisis in the world.The German Agriculture Minister said that we call on India to assume its responsibility as a G20 member.
Expectations from PM Modi at G7 Summit:
He said the issue would be taken up during the G7 summit next month when the prime minister would arrive to attend it. He said such a ban affects countries like India and Nepal which are in dire need of it.
Movement on the international stage:
Importers such as Bangladesh, Indonesia and the United Arab Emirates may struggle to find alternative suppliers amid rising global prices.
What does the farmers' organisation say?
Farmer's organisation Bharat Krishak Samaj (BKS) on Saturday expressed unhappiness over the ban on wheat exports, saying banning the export of agricultural products is like an "indirect" tax for farmers. BKS said that due to this move of the government, farmers will not be able to take advantage of higher global prices and India will also lose its credibility as a reliable trading partner.
Noticeable concerns:
On the other hand, due to lack of government procurement and reduction in production, there was a sharp decline in government procurement of wheat this year.
Last year the government had procured 44 crore quintals of wheat, which this year came down to just 18 crore quintals.
From mid-March till the harvesting of wheat crop in April, there was severe heat in the country. As a result, the grain of the wheat shrank, the wilting of the crop decreased, that is, its weight decreased.
In the first week of April, agricultural experts and farmers' organisations were warning of a sharp fall in the production of wheat, but the government first ignored it, then assumed that the production would probably be 105 crore quintals.