5 Facts You Didn't Know About Wheat Import/Export in India

How important is wheat import and export to India? Well, let’s find out some useful information about this topic in detail. In this article, you will read about the top 5 most important facts related to import and export of wheat in India. Let’s get started!

1) The Wheat Supply Chain - From Farm To Fork

With 29 percent of its total landmass used for wheat production, India is a leader in exporting wheat. It's also a leading producer of wheat in Asia. According to Global Trade Atlas, in 2012-2013, India exported 5 million metric tons (MMT) of wheat per year. There are several key steps that take place between a farm and your dinner table or breakfast bowl; we'll take you through each one here. For more information about what to look for when it comes to bread products, visit Bread Products 101: Navigating Label Claims.

2) Exports And Imports – Statistics For 2017

Of course, numbers are just numbers, but it’s interesting to learn that we export two times more wheat than we import. Furthermore, around 2.8 million tonnes of wheat is exported every year. However, a whopping 97 percent of wheat imported in 2017 was done so as bulk wheat or flour and only 3 percent was done as whole wheat. The numbers also show that we import 30-40 percent more wheat than our neighbouring countries like Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh do—the latter country importing about half of what we do every year.

5) Reasons For Under-Utilization Of Storage Facilities In India

A recent study has revealed that most wheat sellers who have storage facilities underutilize them. For example, 80% of corn buyers don’t use their facility to its full capacity because they worry about pest control, security, and transportation. They also lack understanding of how proper storage techniques can increase grain quality by preventing insects and fungus growth. Without these issues properly dealt with, grain sellers can’t reap an adequate return on investment (ROI). To gain full ROI, they need to understand how to safely and appropriately utilize their storage facilities while also guaranteeing prompt transportation of product once it's sold.

3) Exports And Imports - An Overview

Exports and imports are terms that one hears often. If you’re reading about Indian exports and imports, you may wonder what they have to do with wheat. Nothing, really; these terms simply refer to transfers of goods across borders—that is, exports are when goods are exported from a country and imports are when they’re imported into a country. The United States buys a lot of wheat from overseas countries like Australia, Argentina, Canada, Russia and more. In 2015 alone, it bought more than 20 million metric tons of wheat (21). One must wonder where all that exported wheat goes.

4) Influence Of Trade Agreements On The Indian Agricultural Sector

More than a quarter of our population depends on agriculture for its livelihood, making trade agreements that protect or benefit our agricultural sector an important part of any domestic policy. But before we dive into these specific agreements, let’s look at what they do and how they affect our agricultural industry. For starters, trade agreements are made between two or more countries and can either be free-trade agreements (FTAs) or non-free-trade agreements (NFTs). If a country is participating in an FTA with another country, it means there is no import tax on goods imported from that country to ours—which makes international commerce easier to conduct and lowers costs for both buyers and sellers.