US calls on India to reverse its decision to ban wheat exports

Muscat: The United States (US), hopes that India will reconsider its decision regarding banning wheat exports.

"The United States of America has appealed to India to reverse its decision to ban wheat exports, ahead of ministerial meetings to be held at the headquarters of the International Organisation in New York to discuss food security," Oman News Agency (ONA), said in a statement.

Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the US ambassador to the United Nations, expressed her hope that India would reverse the decision to ban wheat exports. "We encourage countries not to restrict exports because we believe that any export restrictions will exacerbate food shortages," Thomas-Greenfield said during a virtual conference.

Last Saturday, India announced that it had banned the export of wheat without special government permission due to the decline in its production due to heat waves, in a decision that led to an increase in the prices of this basic food commodity to unprecedented levels.

The US ambassador added, "India will be among the countries that will participate in our meeting in the UN Security Council, and we hope that, while listening to the concerns of other countries, it will be able to reconsider the decision to ban wheat exports."

The UN Security Council will hold this session under the chairmanship of US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and the presence of a number of ministers, including India's Minister of State for External Affairs  Vellamvelly Muraleedharan.

India is the second largest wheat producer in the world and has decided to ban the export of this commodity except with special permission from the government to ensure "food security" for its 1.4 billion people.

Today in New York, in addition to the UN Security Council session, Blinken will chair another ministerial meeting also related to world food security.

Thomas-Greenfield explained that the meeting seeks to determine "which countries can help bridge the deficit" in the global wheat market caused by the Ukraine crisis.

 Greenfield emphasised that the United States could be one of these countries and that discussions are already underway with American farmers on this subject.