Egypt has recognised India as a wheat exporter, according to commerce minister Piyush Goyal. Egypt is one of the main importers of wheat from Russia and Ukraine. This comes despite a significant drop in world wheat output, owing primarily to the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Russia and Ukraine exported about a third of the world’s wheat. Egypt purchased wheat worth approximately $2 billion from Russia and $611 million from Ukraine annually before the Ukraine crisis broke out. According to estimates, Egypt bought just approximately 1 million tonnes of wheat from India.
“Egypt has given India its approval as a wheat supplier. As the globe searches for trustworthy alternate supplies of food, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s administration steps in. Our farmers have assured that our granaries are overflowing, and we are prepared to serve the rest of the globe,” Goyal stated.
M. Angamuthu, head of the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Exports Development Authority, said, “We are planning to sell 3 million tonnes of wheat to Egypt this year.”
According to the commerce and industry ministry, officials from Egypt’s agriculture quarantine and pest risk analysis department visited different processing units, port facilities, and farms in Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, and Punjab.
According to a government statement, “the Egyptian delegation’s travel to India follows many trade talks and meetings with other wheat-importing nations, which are examining options for acquiring grain from alternate sources since supplies have been delayed due to the Russia-Ukraine crisis.”
In FY23, India plans to export roughly 10 million tonnes of wheat to fill supply shortfalls caused by the Russia-Ukraine war. In 2021-22, India exported approximately 7 million tonnes of wheat, nearly triple the 2.15 million tonnes shipped in 2020-21.
Egypt, Israel, Oman, Nigeria, and South Africa have sought India to obtain wheat supplies, according to reports, as the Russia-Ukraine crisis threatens food supply.
During a news conference on Friday, Goyal also announced that Indonesia’s agri-import restriction had been abolished. On March 25, Indonesia halted Indian agricultural imports after New Delhi failed to renew the registration of its 26 food certification laboratories for peanuts and grapes.
“We acted quickly, and the issue has already been fixed. “Indonesia has now accepted all shipments,” Goyal added.
In March, the Indonesian Agricultural Quarantine Agency issued five non-compliance letters, three of which related to dried red chilies and two to peanuts, according to reprts.
