India bans wheat exports with immediate effect

India has banned the export of wheat with immediate effect, just two days after announcing that it was eyeing a record push on wheat shipments this year.

India’s the world’s second biggest exporter of the crop after Ukraine and many had been banking on it to fill the gap caused by Russia’s special operation Ukraine.

The government announced its decision late on Friday, and said shipments of wheat for letters of credit that had already been issued would be allowed to proceed.

Wheat exports will be allowed on the basis of permission granted by the Government of India to other countries to meet their food security needs and based on the request of their governments, it said