Agri trade beyond the Ukraine war

India's chances of becoming a stable supplier of wheat are limited in the absence of a long-term policy on foodgrain exports

The conflict in Ukraine has created an opportunity for India’s agricultural exports, particularly wheat. However, there are two questions on agricultural exports and imports. These are: (a) Can India become a stable supplier of foodgrains, particularly wheat? (b) While India has done well in foodgrain production, it is still dependent on imports for edible oil. Can policy interventions be made to improve India’s production mix of edible oils, reduce imports and vulnerability?

Out of the around 200 million tonnes (mt) of global wheat exports, Russia and Ukraine export 60 mt. India exported nearly 7 mt last year. In the middle