The country has imported 17.2 lakh tonnes (LT) of wheat so far this crop year from Ukraine, Australia and France. Of the total exports till date, about 10.7 LT were purchased from Ukraine, 5 LT from Australia and 1.5 LT from France.
This step has been taken in order to meet domestic shortages and moreover, the grain is available at much lower prices in the global market compared to the local prices. The imported red wheat was costing Rs 1,880 per quintal for delivery in Bengaluru, while the local wheat was quoting higher at Rs 2,060 per quintal. Similarly, imported white wheat was costing Rs 2,080 per quintal compared to Rs 2,400 per quintal delivered from Uttar Pradesh.
Last year, private flour millers had purchased about 5 LT of wheat from Australia for the first time in a decade, due to the sluggish supply of domestic high protein wheat and lower international prices.