India has received requests for the supply of more than 1.5 million tonnes of wheat from several countries that need the staple to overcome shortages triggered by the invasion of Ukraine by Russia, trade and government sources told Reuters.
India, which has banned private wheat exports, is open to specific requests for grain from foreign governments.
The bulk of the request has come from Bangladesh, a regular buyer of Indian wheat, the sources said.
Egypt, the world's biggest wheat importer, has also requested the supply of 500,000 tonnes of the grain. Jamaica and a few Asian countries also made requests.
Turkey rejects Indian wheat consignment
Turkish authorities denied permission to an Indian wheat consignment over phytosanitary concerns, prompting a ship to initiate its return journey on May 29, reports the Hindustan Times.
According to an update by S&P Global Commodity Insights, which quoted shipping data from tracker Kpler, the MV Ince Akdeniz loaded with 56,877 tonnes of durum wheat, is now headed back to Kandla port from Turkey.
“The wheat consignment was detected with Indian Rubella disease and was rejected by the Turkish ministry of agriculture and forestry,” S&P Global Commodity Insights quoted traders based in Istanbul.
India's wheat ban
On May 14, India’s Directorate General of Foreign Trade announced a ban on most wheat exports from the country.
According to reports, the decision to halt wheat exports highlights India’s concerns about high inflation, adding to a spate of food protectionism since the war in Ukraine started.
In its announcement, India blamed a spike in global prices for threatening the security of the vital commodity to itself and other neighboring and vulnerable countries.
