The Food Ministry has submitted a request to the Commerce Ministry to permit the export of wheat products including ata, sooji, and maida, proposing an initial cap of 1 million tonnes (mt). This request follows a government ban on the export of these products enacted in 2022.
In a memorandum dated November 12, the Food Ministry asked the Directorate-General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) to take appropriate actions regarding this demand for lifting the export ban. The Roller Flour Millers’ Federation of India has advocated for this permission, citing sufficient domestic wheat supplies. They noted that a preliminary allowance of at least 1 mt should be granted, as there is currently a surplus in the country and a strong production outlook.
India’s wheat production for the 2024-25 season reached a record 117.54 mt, with the government targeting 119 mt for the following year. Data from the Agriculture Ministry indicates that, as of November 7, the area sown with wheat totaled 22.72 lakh hectares (lh), compared to just 9.98 lh the previous year. The government procured 30 mt of wheat from the latest harvest, marking the highest procurement level in four years. The ban on wheat and its products has helped stabilize prices, with only brief fluctuations.
At present, the average retail price of wheat stands at ₹31.7 per kg, while atta is priced at ₹37.02 per kg, as reported by the Consumer Affairs Ministry. These prices are 3-4% higher than those recorded three years ago, despite a 22% increase in the minimum support price for wheat over the past four years.
Industry experts have pointed out that since 2022, several flour mills have been established in the Middle East to serve the demands of the 40-million-strong Indian diaspora worldwide. However, allowing exports of wheat products could generate additional demand from exporters. Many Indian brands might resume their export operations if the ban is lifted, as overseas consumers often prefer products connected to their homeland. A former industry official estimated that if 1 mt of wheat product exports are permitted, around 0.4-0.5 mt could likely be exported during the current fiscal year.
Published on November 14, 2025
