India lifts wheat export ban with immediate effect, DGFT says

India scraps wheat export restrictions

India has removed its export ban on wheat and specified durum wheat varieties with immediate effect, according to notifications issued by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) on Monday, August 24. The move revises the export policy for wheat under two ITC (HS) codes — durum wheat under code 10011900 and wheat under code 10019910 — from 'Prohibited' to 'Free'. As reported by multiple outlets, the notification – numbered 35/2026-27 – states: 'The export policy of Wheat under the above-mentioned HS Codes is revised from 'Prohibited' to 'Free' with immediate effect.'

The amendment, made under Schedule 2 of the ITC (HS) Export Policy in accordance with the Foreign Trade (Development & Regulation) Act, 1992, and the Foreign Trade Policy, 2023, takes immediate effect. Alongside the wheat notification, separate orders from the DGFT allow free exports of wheat flour and related products, including atta, maida, semolina, and wholemeal atta, as reported by several of the outlets.

The lifting of the ban comes months after the government allowed limited shipments of wheat in February. According to The Hindu, earlier this year New Delhi permitted the export of 50 lakh tonnes of wheat and 10 lakh tonnes of wheat products. The Hindu also noted that India had banned wheat exports in May 2022 to control rising domestic prices.

Explaining the decision, Food Secretary Sanjeev Chopra told PTI, as reported by The Hindu: 'The export ban has been lifted in the interest of farmers. The domestic wheat prices are depressed currently. Allowing exports will increase the domestic market prices and encourage good sowing in the coming rabi season, and farmers will get better prices.' Chopra added that there is adequate stock of wheat available in the country to meet demand and check prices. The export of wheat, which was previously allowed only through licences, has been simplified, he said.

Chopra also provided insights into how much wheat has already shipped: out of the 60 lakh tonnes allowed earlier this year, only 2.5 lakh tonnes have been shipped so far.

Context and supply position

India, one of the world's largest wheat producers, saw its 2025-26 crop year harvest at a record 120.65 million tonnes, up from 117.94 million tonnes the previous year, according to The Hindu. The Food Corporation of India (FCI), the government's nodal agency for foodgrain procurement and distribution, holds almost 49 million tonnes of wheat in buffer stock, the same outlet reported. Government data cited by The Hindu for Monday, August 24, shows the all-India average retail price of wheat at ₹31.46 per kg and wheat flour at ₹37.3 per kg, both flat compared to a year ago.

The Deccan Chronicle places this year's harvest at an all-time high of 120.6 million tons and notes that the US Department of Agriculture forecasts India's domestic stockpiles to end the 2026-27 season at a record level, suggesting a surplus is available. The same report says that a pickup in Indian wheat shipments could help ease supply pressures in import-dependent countries across Asia, Africa and the Middle East.

The Deccan Chronicle also fills in the historical background behind the original ban. Wheat exports from India have been largely prohibited since 2022, the year Russia's invasion of Ukraine began. The two Black Sea nations rank among the world's top exporters, and the war sent global wheat prices spiralling higher. India briefly became a major wheat supplier but soon banned overseas sales, citing food-security concerns as a heat wave threatened its domestic harvest of the time. That context is absent from the coverage of the other outlets, which do not address the rationale.

A global window?

The immediate impact of the lifting of the ban may be modest: The Hindu notes that only a small portion of the permitted wheat has actually been shipped so far. But Deccan Chronicle highlights a potentially more significant opening over, noting that Ukraine and Russia have recently escalated attacks on commercial vessels and ports in the Black Sea, sending Chicago wheat futures to a two-year high. Russia has also rejected a truce offered by Ukraine to end attacks on ships carrying agricultural commodities through the region, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy – all of which could make Indian wheat a more attractive option for global buyers.

That outlet also points to a related development in India's food policy: alongside the wheat measures, the government allowed mills and refiners to import up to 1 million tons of raw sugar duty-free to cool record domestic prices.