Rabat – As Russia continues its war in Ukraine, food security is emerging as a major concern for countries that rely heavily on wheat imports.
India’s Agricultural and Processed Food Products Exports Development Authority (APEDA) is scheduled to send trade delegations to Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, and Lebanon among other countries to explore the possibility of increasing wheat Indian exports, according to a report from India’s news agency.
Earlier this year, India had set a record target for wheat exports, announcing it would be exporting up to 10 million tons of wheat this year, up from 7 tons last year and 2 tons a year before, the report indicated.
On Friday, the Indian Ministry of Commerce and Industry said that his country intends to step in to fill the vacuum in the wheat market and boost wheat imports to Egypt, according to a report from India’s news agency.
Egypt, currently one of the largest wheat importers in the world, is already sending agriculture officials to visit India’s processing units, port facilities, and farms, the report added.
The visit from the Egyptian delegation comes at a time when India is in the talks with multiple wheat importing countries that are now opening to the prospect of sourcing wheat from the Asian country as supply from Ukraine and Russia is disrupted due to the ongoing war, India’s Commerce Ministry said.
On a visit to Dubai last month, India’s Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal held a meeting with Egypt’s Minister of Planning & Economic Development Hala El-Said.
During the meeting, the Indian official expressed his country’s readiness to supply wheat to Egypt and support the country in guaranteeing food security.
India aims to export 3 million tonnes of wheat to Egypt this year, an Indian official told the country’s press agency.
Piyush Goyal, Indian minister for commerce and industry, also told the news agency: “We are working with several other ministries – agriculture, railways, shipping, exporters, and state governments to increase our wheat exports significantly in the current fiscal.”
Read Also: Morocco’s Grain Production Up by 7.7 Million Tonnes in 2022
