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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">The
Directorate General of Foreign Trade has notified the government’s decision to
permit the export of an additional 25 lakh tonnes of wheat — bringing the total
volume of wheat exports authorised under government dispensation to 50 lakh
tonnes, alongside a separately permitted 10 lakh tonnes of wheat products. The
notification follows the Cabinet’s initial approval on April 20 of the first 25
lakh tonne tranche, and reflects the government’s growing confidence that
domestic supply is robust enough to sustain calibrated export volumes without
compromising food security.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">India’s
overall wheat export policy formally remains ‘prohibited’ — exports are not
freely allowed on commercial terms — but the series of government
authorisations represents a progressive relaxation that is functionally
equivalent to limited commercial market reopening. The DGFT clarified that
detailed modalities for the additional 25 lakh tonnes will be issued
separately, suggesting the authorisations will continue to be channelled
through designated agencies or inter-governmental agreements rather than the
free commercial export route. The total authorised wheat export volume of 50
lakh tonnes (5 million tonnes) is commercially significant for global supply:
India was historically among the world’s largest wheat exporters before export
restrictions were introduced in 2022 following the Russia-Ukraine war’s impact
on global grain markets, and any resumption of Indian wheat supply provides
meaningful relief to import-dependent countries in Asia, Africa, and the Middle
East.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Supply
Confidence: Stocks at 222 Lakh MT, Strong FY26 Harvest<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">The
additional authorisation reflects the government’s assessment that India’s
wheat buffer stocks — confirmed at approximately 222 lakh metric tonnes at the
time of the Additional Secretary’s April briefing — provide sufficient headroom
to support limited exports without risking domestic supply security. India is
simultaneously expecting another strong rabi wheat harvest from the 2025-26
crop cycle, with early indications suggesting production will meet or exceed
the previous year’s record output. The combination of large buffer stocks and a
good incoming harvest gives policymakers the confidence to expand the export
authorisation without the supply anxiety that led to the original prohibition
in 2022.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">For
maritime logistics, the additional 25 lakh tonne wheat export authorisation has
a direct port impact. India’s wheat export infrastructure is concentrated on a
handful of ports capable of bulk grain loading — primarily Kandla, JNPA,
Mundra, and Kakinada — and a resumption of grain export volumes at this scale
will add meaningfully to bulk cargo throughput at these facilities. Given that
the Hormuz crisis has suppressed Gulf-bound cargo flows, the wheat export
authorisation opens alternative routing toward South Asian, African, and
European buyers that do not require Hormuz transit — providing Indian ports
with a partial substitute for the Gulf-direction cargo that has been disrupted
since February.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"> </span></p>