India Lifts Four-Year Export Ban on Wheat and Wheat Flour Products
India has lifted its four-year export ban on wheat and wheat flour products, allowing commercial millers and exporters to operate under an open-market mechanism. The decision was made by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT), citing a record-setting harvest and substantial recovery in national grain stockpiles.
The government's move comes after India's wheat production for the 2025-2026 crop year reached a historic 120.65 million tonnes, up from 117.94 million tonnes in the preceding cycle. The country is set to achieve its fourth consecutive record wheat harvest this summer, driven by favourable weather that supported record planting and yield prospects in major wheat-growing states.
Union Food Secretary Sanjeev Chopra emphasized that lifting the restrictions is aimed at supporting domestic farmer incomes, particularly with local mandi prices for wheat having recently flattened due to bumper arrivals. By reopening export channels, policymakers hope to stimulate competitive buying, lift wholesale realization rates, and encourage healthy sowing numbers for the upcoming rabi winter-crop planting season.