Amid Criticism From G7 Nations, Chinese Media Backs India Over Wheat Export Ban

In India, wheat prices soared to a record high Sunday after the export ban announcement. India, which has large buffer supplies.

New Delhi: After facing criticism from G7 nations over its decision to regulate wheat export, Indian surprisingly found support from China on the issue, which said that blaming developing countries like India won't solve the global food crisis. According to a report by ANI, Global Times (GT), a Chinese government outlet said, "Blaming India won't solve the food problem." An editorial published in GT asked, "Now, the agriculture ministers from G7 urge India not to ban wheat exports, then why won't G7 nations themselves move to stabilise food market supply by hiking their exports?"

The government outlet also said, "Although India is the second-largest wheat producer in the world, it accounts for only a small part of global wheat exports. By contrast, some developed economies, including the US, Canada, the EU and Australia, are among major exporters of wheat."

The GT editorial piece also argued that if some western countries decide to reduce wheat exports in the wake of a potential global food crisis, they will be in no position to criticise India which faces pressure to secure its own food supply.

India had on Saturday banned wheat exports and put it under the "prohibited" category to control the rising domestic prices.

“The export policy of wheat is prohibited with immediate effect,” the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) said in a notification dated May 13. The DGFT had added that the export shipments for which irrevocable letters of credit (LoC) have been issued on or before the date of this notification will be allowed.

India’s move was criticised by the Agriculture Ministers from the Group of Seven (G7) industrialised nations. According to a report by Agence France-Presse, during a press conference in Stuttgart the German Agriculture Minister Cem Ozdemir said, “If everyone starts to impose export restrictions or to close markets, that would worsen the crisis.” 

Ozdemir said some “20 million tonnes” of wheat were sitting in Ukrainian silos and “urgently” needed to be exported. The ministers of the G7 industrialised nations urged countries around the world not to take restrictive action that could pile further stress on the produce markets. 

In India, wheat prices soared to a record high Sunday after the export ban announcement. India, which has large buffer supplies, previously stated that it is willing to assist in alleviating some of the supply shortages created by the Ukraine conflict.