India lifts long-standing ban on wheat and processed products exports

Amid record stocks and increasing domestic supply, Indian authorities have lifted a long-standing ban on the export of wheat, particularly durum wheat, as well as flour and other processed products, Bloomberg reports.

 

India banned wheat exports in 2022, when soaring global prices and heatwaves heightened risks to the country's food security. The ban was eased in February 2026, and exports resumed in small quantities, and the restrictions have now been lifted completely.

 

This decision by the government was made possible by good harvests in recent years. The new wheat harvest reached a record 120.6 million tons, so according to the USDA forecast, ending wheat stocks in the 2026/27 MY may also be record, which opens up prospects for exports.

 

The resumption of supplies from India will increase wheat supplies for countries in Asia, Africa and the Middle East at a time when exports from the Black Sea region are severely limited. The ongoing attacks on ports and merchant ships have already led to wheat prices in Chicago rising to a 2-year high.

 

High domestic prices for Indian wheat reduce its competitiveness on the world market, but if the blockade of exports from the Black Sea region continues, the resumption of supplies from one of the world's largest producers will increase supply on the world market and help support prices.