We cannot give you a fixed answer, because India's wheat export policy changes. Exports were banned in May 2022 and the position has been reviewed since, so the only reliable answer is the latest notification from DGFT, the Directorate General of Foreign Trade.
Before you request quotes, ask your supplier for the current DGFT notification number covering wheat and wheat products, and read it yourself. Then check it again before you sign.
Why India restricts wheat exports
Wheat is a staple food in India and is bought by the government for public distribution. When a harvest is hit by heat or rain, or when domestic prices rise quickly, the government may limit exports to protect local supply.
The May 2022 ban came after heat during the growing season and high world prices. This pattern is not unique to wheat. Non-basmati white rice exports were banned in July 2023 and relaxed in 2024, and onion exports were banned from December 2023 to May 2024. The wider topic is covered in how export bans affect supply.
How the rules work
- DGFT publishes notifications that change the export policy for specific HS codes, for example from free to prohibited or restricted.
- A notification can cover whole wheat only, or also products such as flour, semolina and meslin. Read the HS codes listed, not just the headline.
- Notifications often include transition rules for shipments already in progress, such as cargo already handed to customs. These rules are narrow and set out in the text.
- Some notifications allow limited exports, for example by government permission or to meet another country's food security request. These routes are not open to ordinary commercial buyers.
- Policy can change quickly and with little notice, so a contract signed under one rule may need to be shipped under another.
What to do as a buyer
- Read the current DGFT notification for wheat and the specific product you want, and keep a copy with your contract file.
- Ask the supplier how they plan to ship legally under that notification. Be wary of anyone offering to ship banned goods under a different description.
- Add a clause covering government export restrictions: what happens to advances, booked freight and goods already packed. See how export restrictions on rice and wheat affect contracts.
- Avoid large advances on wheat while the policy is uncertain. The general guidance in typical payment terms for grain contracts applies.
- Have a second origin in mind if wheat is central to your supply.
What about wheat products?
Buyers often ask whether atta, semolina or ready mixes can still be shipped when whole wheat cannot. Sometimes products are treated differently, and sometimes they are restricted too, with or without a permission process. The answer is in the HS codes and conditions of the current notification, not in what a supplier says on the phone.
How we help
We check the current DGFT position for the exact product and HS code before we approach suppliers. If wheat cannot be shipped, we tell you, and we can suggest products such as millets that are not under the same rule. Ask us for a free sourcing review.