Remove wheat import duty till Feb for food security: FCI

Wheat exports were banned after last year; non-basmati white rice exports prohibited in July

- Puja Das & Ravi Dutta Mishra

NEW DELHI : Food Corp. of India (FCI) has recommended the finance ministry remove import duty on wheat till February 2024 till fresh arrivals start to maintain the country’s food security and arrest rising food prices, a government official said.

This recommendation comes over a year after the government banned wheat exports due to brutal heat waves that damaged wheat crops, sparking concerns about wheat availability in the country.

Food prices have been on the rise globally against the backdrop of the Russia-Ukraine war but had begun showing signs of easing, thanks to the Black Sea grain deal under which Russia agreed to allow wheat to be exported from the three ports in the conflict-hit region.

However, prices have resumed the upward trend, with Russia pulling out of the deal last month, stating that the deal was only helping Western countries and not the African nations in need.

Soon after, India banned exports of non-basmati white rice on 20 July.