India wants to become the world’s new wheat supplier

In northern India, wheat fields stretch as far as the eye can see. India is the world’s second largest wheat producer, but exports almost none. Farmers mainly produce for the Indian market, but that could change. “Because of the war between Russia and Ukraine, many countries have no more wheat, but India will export it to meet their needs”, explains Suraj Chauhan, a farmer. With the threat of a shortage, India wants to become the world’s new breadbasket.

A wholesaler, whose warehouses are full of grain stocks, plans to deliver 6,000 tonnes of wheat to Egypt. “Before the war, we could store wheat here without any problem, two, three, six months (…) we will stop all that and we will export very soon”, assures Sachin Barode, director of Namkala Wolrd Trade. A tonne of Indian wheat sells for an average of 300 euros, compared to 380 euros for French wheat.