No Plans To Import Wheat From Russia Via Diplomatic Means, Says Food Secretary

Earlier, Reuters reported that India is in talks with Russia to import wheat at a discount to surging global prices in a rare move to boost supplies and curb food inflation

Wheat stocks at government warehouses were at 28.3 million metric tons on August 1, 20 per cent below the 10-year average.

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Food Secretary Sanjeev Chopra on Tuesday said that India has no plans to import wheat from Russia through diplomatic means. The country is not considering imposing any curbs on the exports of non-basmati parboiled rice, he also added.

Last week, citing some government sources news agency Reuters said that India is in talks with Russia to import wheat at a discount to surging global prices in a rare move to boost supplies and curb food inflation ahead of state and national elections next year.

According to the report by Reuters, the wheat imports would allow the government to intervene more effectively in the market to drive down wheat prices that stoked inflation to a 15-month high in July. One of the sources told the news agency, "The government is exploring the possibility of imports through private trade and government-to-government deals. The decision will be made cautiously," when asked about wheat imports from Russia.

India has not imported wheat through diplomatic deals in years. The last time India imported a significant amount of wheat was in 2017, when private traders shipped in 5.3 million metric tonnes.

The Centre's plan to import Russian wheat is one of the supply-side measures being considered to bring down prices of key commodities such as fuel, cereals, and pulse along with an extension of rural schemes to ease the impact of inflation on the poor, two of the sources told Reuters.

Last month, India imposed a ban on the export of widely consumed non-basmati white rice, following a ban on broken rice exports last year. Currently, there are no restrictions on the exports of parboiled rice, which constitutes nearly a third of India's total rice exports.

Wheat stocks at government warehouses were at 28.3 million metric tons on August 1, 20 per cent below the 10-year average.