15 Dec 2025
With comfortable wheat stock levels and strong production prospects for the coming season, the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution has recommended lifting the nearly three-year-old ban on exports of wheat-based products, imposed in May 2022.
In a communication to the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, the food ministry proposed permitting exports of around 1 million tonnes (MT) of wheat products in the initial phase, citing the prevailing surplus and a robust outlook for the next harvest.
Trade sources said the Food Corporation of India’s (FCI) Open Market Sale Scheme (OMSS) for bulk buyers, including flour millers, which commenced earlier this week, witnessed muted demand. Of the 0.2 MT offered through e-auction, only about 69,000 tonnes were sold at a reserve price of Rs 2,550 per quintal.
FCI currently holds 30.46 MT of wheat, significantly higher than the buffer norm of 20.52 MT prescribed for January 1, 2026. Analysts noted that the ample stock position has helped maintain stability in retail wheat prices.
“With expectations of another bumper wheat harvest next season, supported by surplus monsoon rainfall, we have urged the government to lift export restrictions so that India can reclaim its traditional markets for wheat products,” said Navneet Chitlangia, President of the Roller Flour Millers’ Federation of India.
Prior to the imposition of the ban, India exported wheat products such as flour, maida, sooji, and semolina to markets in Africa, the Gulf region, and South Asia.
India, the world’s second-largest wheat producer after China, had imposed restrictions on wheat and wheat product exports in May 2022 amid concerns over food security, a lower harvest, and rising domestic inflation.
Flour millers had earlier informed the food ministry that, given the comfortable stock position and steady domestic availability, conditions are conducive to reconsidering the export ban on wheat-based products.
Traders said allowing exports of 1 MT in the initial phase would help stabilise domestic prices while improving capacity utilisation in the milling industry. “If the government lifts the ban on wheat product exports early, it will stabilise prices when the new crop arrives and provide a significant boost to exporters, millers, and farmers,” said exporter Kunal Shah.
In September, Food Minister Pralhad Joshi stated that the government would “positively” consider industry demands to permit exports of wheat products such as flour and semolina, while reiterating that food security remains the government’s foremost priority.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Agriculture has projected a record wheat output of 119 million tonnes for the 2025–26 crop year (July–June), up from the previous year’s target of 115 million tonnes.
Sowing of wheat, the main rabi crop, has reached 2.27 million hectares, reflecting a 127% increase compared to the same period last year. The normal sown area stands at 31.23 million hectares, and the sowing window remains open until early January. The new crop is expected to start arriving in markets by mid-March.