Explained: How criticism of India’s wheat ban export isn’t accurate

In April, as the Russia-Ukraine war dragged on and countries across the world saw food stocks dwindling, Prime Minister Narendra Modi claimed India could feed the world should the World Trade Organization allow it. Later, on 4 May, Modi reiterated that he wanted to “save the world from hunger”. But that was not to be. Instead, 10 days later, India banned the export of wheat because of record-high domestic inflation and an intense heatwave, which destroyed the crop. The decision has evoked reactions from politicians and world leaders, many requesting and urging India to rethink its wheat export ban. On Tuesday, International Monetary Fund (IMF) chief Kristalina Georgieva in Davos implored India to reconsider its ban, saying the country could play a key role in international food security and global stability, reported NDTV. “I do have an appreciation for the fact that India needs to feed nearly 1.35 billion people and I do have appreciation for the heatwave that has reduced agricultural productivity, but I would beg India to reconsider as soon as possible because the more countries step into export restrictions, the more others would be tempted to do so and we would end up as a global community less equipped to deal with the crisis,” she told NDTV. In the same report, Georgieva added, “Wheat is one of the areas where Ukraine and Russia have been dramatically impacted by the war so depending on how much India can export and where it directs its exports, it could have significant impact, especially if exports go to the countries most severely impacted like Egypt or Lebanon where what we see is not only risk of hunger but risk of social unrest and impact on global stability.” As India continues with its wheat ban, despite pressure from the Western countries, we take a closer look at India’s wheat production, how much it exports, what countries have said about the ban and the government’s defence of the decision. India’s wheat stock India is a huge wheat producer — most of the grain is used to feed its population of 1.3 billion. In mid-February, nearly a month before the recent hot spell, the government said India was on course to harvest an all-time high 111.32 million tonnes of the grain, up from the previous year’s 109.59 million tonnes, reported Reuters. However, the government’s own admission, the country is “not among the top 10 wheat exporters”. Also read: India bans wheat export: What is durum, common bread, and sharbati varieties of wheat and how are they different? Government data shows that India ranked 19th in 2020, 35th in 2019, 36th in 2018 and 2017 and 37th in 2016 when it came to wheat exporting countries. This shows that India has an insignificant share (0.47 per cent) when it comes to wheat exports. Figures from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations show that Russia exported 18.78 per cent of wheat to the world in 2020, followed by the United States (13.16 per cent), Canada 13.15 per cent) and Ukraine with 9.09 per cent. The heatwave has caused irreparable damage to the wheat crop and it is now expected that India’s wheat output for the year will be 105 million tonnes. Countries irked at India New Delhi’s U-turn on wheat invited much criticism, especially from the G-7 nations. German agriculture minister Cem Ozdemir was quoted by AFP as saying, “If everyone starts to impose export restrictions or to close markets, that would worsen the crisis.” The ministers of the G7 nations further urged countries around the world not to take restrictive action that could pile stress on the produce markets. “We call on India to assume its responsibility as a G20 member,” Ozdemir added. A miffed United States also called out India on the wheat ban, saying restrictions would exacerbate the global wheat crisis already in place due to the war in Ukraine. On 16 May, US agriculture secretary Tom Vilsack expressed “deep concern” over India’s move, which has resulted in a rally in already elevated wheat prices. Vilsack said India was constraining the ability to access wheat, which he defined as a “wrong thing at this time”, CNBCTV18 reported. US Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield also said: “We have seen the report of India’s decision. We’re encouraging countries not to restrict exports because we think any restrictions on exports will exacerbate the food shortages. But you’ve – again, India will be one of the countries participating in our meeting at the Security Council, and we hope that they can, as they hear the concerns being raised by other countries, that they would reconsider that position.” “Indian wheat exports are especially important this year on the back of Russia-Ukraine crisis,” Oscar Tjakra, senior grains and oilseeds analyst at Rabobank, told CNN Business. The “ban will reduce the availability of global wheat for exports in 2022 and will provide support to global wheat prices,” he added. [caption id=“attachment_10717081” align=“alignnone” width=“640”]  A worker displays grains of wheat inside a mill of refined wheat flour at Khanna in Punjab. AFP[/caption] India’s defence The Narendra Modi-led Centre has stood firm on its decision on imposing restrictions on wheat exports. On 19 May, Union minister V Muraleedharan, speaking on the issue at the ‘Global Food Security Call to Action’ at the UN Security Council, said, “It is necessary for all of us to adequately appreciate the importance of equity, affordability and accessibility when it comes to food grains. We have already seen to our great cost how these principles were disregarded in the case of COVD-19 vaccines. Open markets must not become an argument to perpetuate inequity and promote discrimination.”

#IndiaAtUN

📺Watch: Minister of State for External Affairs, Mr. V. Muraleedharan @MOS_MEA delivers #India's national statement at the Ministerial Meeting on Global Food Security Call to Action ⤵️@MEAIndia @VMBJP pic.twitter.com/Wu23OR39UG

— India at UN, NY (@IndiaUNNewYork) May 18, 2022

Muraleedharan said that the Indian government stopped the exports after taking note of the sudden spike in global prices of wheat which had put the food security of the country, its neighbours and other vulnerable nations at risk. Furthermore, New Delhi has pointed out that India makes up less than one per cent of global wheat exports. This was reiterated by Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal, who said, “India never, ever, was a traditional player in the international wheat market”.

India wheat exports are less than 1% of world trade and our export regulation should not affect global markets. We continue to allow exports to vulnerable countries and neighbors. pic.twitter.com/N61929BNt5

— Piyush Goyal (@PiyushGoyal) May 25, 2022

Indian officials have also reportedly pointed out the wastage of food by other countries. As per United Nations Environment Programme’s (UNEP) Food Waste Index 2021, developed Countries like USA (59), Japan (64), Italy (67), Germany (75) etc all have higher food wastage compared to India. Moreover, India clarified that wheat shipments that were registered with the customs department until 13 May would be honoured. Food protectionism While much has been said about India’s wheat ban export, it is not the only country to impose food trade restrictions . Countries, including Egypt, Turkey and Kuwait have also exercised export restrictions, giving rise to fears of so-called “food nationalism” by governments. On Monday, Malaysia’s prime minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob said the South East Asian country will stop exporting as many as 3.6 million chickens every month “until domestic prices and production stabilise”. Earlier, palm oil prices had also surged in recent weeks when Indonesia, the top producer of the ingredient used in everything from processed food to soap, stopped exports for three weeks to bring down local prices of cooking oil. The ban was lifted on Monday. The rising prices has also led to fears of a global food crisis. Kristalina Georgieva, the IMF managing director, told the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland on Monday that “the anxiety about access to food at a reasonable price globally is hitting the roof" as food prices continue “to go up up up”. Last week, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres warned of “the spectre of a global food shortage in the coming months” without urgent international action. According to UN figures, the number of severely food-insecure people has doubled in the past two years, from 135 million pre-pandemic to 276 million today. With inputs from agencies Read all the Latest News , Trending News ,  Cricket News , Bollywood News , India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.