US hopes India would ‘reconsider’ its decision to restrict wheat export

NEW YORK: The US hopes India will “reconsider” its decision to ban wheat exports, with Washington “encouraging” countries not to restrict exports as that will exacerbate food shortages, amidst Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

India, the world’s second-biggest wheat producer, has banned wheat exports in a bid to check high domestic prices amid concerns of wheat output being hit by scorching heat waves.

The decision would help control retail prices of wheat and wheat flour, which have risen by an average 14-20 per cent in the last one year, besides meeting the food grains requirement of neighboring and vulnerable countries.

US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield, during a virtual New York Foreign Press Center briefing on Monday, said: “We have seen the report of India’s decision. We’re encouraging countries not to restrict exports because we think any restrictions on exports will exacerbate the food shortages”.

“But you’ve again, India will be one of the countries participating in our meeting at the Security Council, and we hope that they can, as they hear the concerns being raised by other countries, that they would reconsider that position,” she said. Thomas-Greenfield was responding to a question on India’s decision to restrict wheat exports.

The US envoy said that Ukraine used to be a breadbasket for the developing world, but ever since Russia started blocking crucial ports and destroying civilian infrastructure and grain silos, hunger situations in Africa and the Middle East are getting even more dire. This is a crisis for the whole world, and so it belongs to the UN.