Egypt has approved India as a wheat supplier: Goyal
Mint had earlier reported that Egypt along with countries such as Israel, Oman, Nigeria and South Africa have approached India to secure wheat supplies, as the Russia-Ukraine conflict could disrupt food supplies
Egypt, one of the top importers of wheat from Russia and Ukraine, has approved India as a wheat supplier, commerce minister Piyush Goyal said on Friday. This comes amid a sharp dip in global wheat production largely because of the Russia-Ukraine war.
Russia and Ukraine accounted for nearly one-third of global wheat exports. Before the war in Ukraine broke out, Egypt imported wheat worth nearly $2 billion from Russia and $611 million from Ukraine every year. Egypt imported about only 1 million tonne of wheat from India, according to estimates.
“Egypt approves India as a wheat supplier. The government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi steps in as the world looks for reliable alternative sources for a steady food supply. Our farmers have ensured our granaries overflow and we are ready to serve the world,” Goyal said.
“We are aiming to export 3 million tonnes of wheat to Egypt this year,” said M. Angamuthu, chairman, Agricultural and Processed Food Products Exports Development Authority.
Officials from the agriculture quarantine and pest risk analysis department of Egypt visited various processing units, port facilities, and farms in Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, and Punjab, the commerce and industry ministry said.
“The Egyptian delegation’s visit to India follows several trade talks and meetings with various wheat importing countries, which are exploring possibilities of sourcing grain from alternative sources as supplies have been disrupted because of the Russia-Ukraine conflict,” according to a government statement.
India aims to export nearly 10 million tonnes of wheat in FY23 to bridge the supply gaps arising from the Russia-Ukraine conflict. India exported nearly 7 million tonnes of wheat in 2021-22, which was nearly three times the 2.15 million tonnes exported in 2020-21.
Mint had earlier reported that Egypt, Israel, Oman, Nigeria, and South Africa have approached India to secure wheat supplies, as the Russia-Ukraine conflict could disrupt food supplies.
Goyal also said during a press conference on Friday that the agri import ban by Indonesia has been lifted. Indonesia had suspended Indian agri shipments on 25 March after New Delhi failed to comply with the registration renewal requirement for its 26 food certification laboratories for peanuts and grapes.
“We responded swiftly and now that problem has been resolved. Now all shipments have been accepted by Indonesia,” Goyal said.
Mint had reported that the Indonesia Agricultural Quarantine Agency issued five non-compliance notices in March this year, three of which pertained to dried red chillies and two with regard to peanuts.
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First Published:15 Apr 2022, 10:34 PM IST
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