Global Food Stocks to Suffer as Ukrainian Wheat Production To Fall Amid War

Wheat production in Ukraine is expected to decline 41 per cent or 13.5 million tonnes year-on-year in the 2022-23 season to around 19.5 million tonnes, said the US Department of Agriculture in its latest report.

Reports suggest farming and trading of wheat in Ukraine have been impacted ever since Russia's invasion of the country earlier this year.

In its June report, the US Department of Agriculture projected the country's wheat crop at 21.50 million tonnes.

Ukraine is a major supplier of wheat and its global prices have risen substantially in recent months. Prices in India too are buoyant and are currently trading above the minimum support price.

Wheat production in major supplier India is expected to decline 3.3 per cent in 2022-23 to 106 million tonnes from 109.6 million tonnes in 2021-22, the report said.

However, wheat production for India has been kept unchanged from its June report.

To manage the overall food security of the country as well as meet the needs of the neighbouring and other vulnerable countries, India amended the export policy of wheat by putting its export under the "prohibited" category.

After a ban on exports of wheat grain, the Centre has now put restrictions on the exports of wheat flour (atta) exports and other related products like maida, semolina (rava/sirgi), wholemeal atta, and resultant atta with effect from July 12.