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Farm produce

Export wheat and meslin

Wheat export is Free again since 24 Aug 2026 after a ban from May 2022. Neighbours and the Gulf are the natural first markets.

Free to exportHS 1001
HS code
1001
Durum wheat (1001 11 seed, 1001 19 other), other wheat (1001 91 seed, 1001 99 — 1001 99 10 wheat, 1001 99 20 meslin). Flour (atta, maida) is under 1101.
Export policy
Free to export
Free since 24 Aug 2026 for 1001 19 00 and 1001 99 10 (DGFT Notification 35/2026-27), ending the prohibition under Notification 06/2015-20 of 13 May 2022. Wheat flour has its own notifications (34/2026-27). Policy can change quickly — confirm on dgft.gov.in before you sign a contract.
Registrations
5
IEC, GST and those below
India’s exports, 2025-26
US$ 10.3 mn
to 6 countries

What is exported

Wheat exports were banned from 13 May 2022 except to meet other governments’ food-security requests, so 2025-26 exports were only about US$ 10 million, mostly to Nepal, the UAE and Bhutan (TradeStat; APEDA also lists Iraq). In 2026 the government first allowed 25 lakh tonnes, then made wheat Free. Buyers are flour mills and government grain agencies in South Asia, the Gulf and East Africa.

Varieties, grades and forms

  • Bread wheat (aestivum) — HD 2967, PBW 343, WH 542 and othersAPEDA lists many varieties; buyers specify protein and test weight rather than variety.
  • Durum wheat — PDW 233 and othersHard, amber grain for pasta and semolina.
  • Sharbati and Lokwan (MP)Premium table wheat from Madhya Pradesh, popular with diaspora atta brands.

Where it is grown or made

  • Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and HaryanaThe largest procurement belt; dry ports at Ludhiana and Dadri.
  • Madhya PradeshSehore, Vidisha, Indore, Ujjain — close to Kandla and Mundra by rail.
  • Rajasthan, Gujarat and BiharKota, Saurashtra; Bihar supplies Nepal by road.

Season

Rabi crop harvested March–May; export offers are best from April to August.

Export packing

  • 50 kg PP bags in containers, or bulk vessels from Kandla for large contracts.
  • Loaded in 20-ft dry containers lined with kraft paper, with desiccants against condensation; fumigation before stuffing where the buyer asks.

Who buys abroad

  • Flour mills in Nepal, Bangladesh, the Gulf and East Africa
  • Government grain agencies buying by tender
  • Indian and South Asian grocery importers and distributors

The quality buyers ask for

Moisture
FSSAI sets a maximum for wheat; buyers often ask for about 12–13%
Protein and test weight
Set by the buyer (for example protein on dry basis, kg per hectolitre)
Defects
Foreign matter, damaged, shrivelled and broken grains, other grains — maxima in the contract
Plant health
Many importers require freedom from Karnal bunt and live insects

Certificates

  • APEDA RCMCRequiredRegistration with APEDA, issued as an RCMC on the DGFT portal; not needed for consignments up to ₹3 lakh FOB since 15 Sep 2026.
  • Phytosanitary certificateRequiredIssued by Plant Quarantine (DPPQS) for each consignment after inspection; apply on PQMS.
  • FSSAI licenceRequiredCentral licence from FSSAI for the premises where food is packed or stored for export.
  • Pre-shipment inspection certificateOften askedQuality and weight certificate by an independent agency named in the contract.

Shipping, storage and shelf life

Container load

A 20-ft container typically carries about 25–26 tonnes in bags; large contracts go in bulk vessels.

How it travels

Kandla and Mundra for bulk; rail and road to Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh.

Storage

Dry, fumigated, pest-free warehouses; keep moisture low.

Shelf life

A year or more if dry and protected from insects.

What goes on the pack and carton

  • Bulk bags and cartons: product and grade, crop year, lot number, net and gross weight, "Product of India", exporter name and the buyer’s shipping marks, matching the invoice and packing list exactly.
Where to get it tested

Use a laboratory on APEDA’s list of recognised laboratories (apeda.gov.in → Recognised Organisations), an FSSAI-notified lab, or a lab accredited by NABL for the test (nabl-india.org). Ask the buyer which reports they accept before sending samples.

Benefits of exporting this product

Where to register

  • APEDARegistration-cum-Membership Certificate (RCMC) for APEDA-scheduled products. Apply on the DGFT portal after you have your IEC.dgft.gov.in ↗
  • Plant Quarantine (DPPQS)Phytosanitary certificate for each consignment of plant produce, applied for online on PQMS. Some markets also want the packhouse or processing unit registered.pqms.cgg.gov.in ↗
  • FSSAIFood business licence. FSSAI puts food exporters under the Central licence; apply on FoSCoS for the premises you pack from.foscos.fssai.gov.in ↗

Quality and checks

  • A phytosanitary certificate from Plant Quarantine for every consignment; some markets add treatment or pest-free-area conditions — check the importing country’s rules first.
  • Buyers set moisture, protein, test weight, falling number, gluten, damaged and foreign grains; Karnal bunt freedom is a common phytosanitary demand.
  • Pesticide residues must meet the destination country’s MRLs; check them in APEDA’s International Pesticide MRL Database before you buy the crop.
  • Mycotoxins (deoxynivalenol, aflatoxin) and fumigant residues; get an independent inspection agency to sample at loading.
How to start small

Start with containerised wheat in 50 kg bags to a flour mill in Nepal, Bhutan or the Gulf, priced FOB, with pre-shipment inspection by an agency the buyer names. Since 15 September 2026, a consignment worth up to ₹3 lakh FOB does not need an RCMC (DGFT Notification 36/2026-27); registrations required by a law still apply.

Where new exporters go wrong

  • Signing long contracts without a policy clause — wheat policy changed four times between 2022 and 2026.
  • Mixing lots of different protein or moisture in one shipment; bulk buyers sample by hold or container.

Documents this product needs

Schemes that apply

Sources (6)
  1. DGFT Notification 35/2026-27 (24 Aug 2026) — export policy of wheat revised from Prohibited to Free
  2. DGFT Notification 13/2026-27 (27 Apr 2026) — export of additional 25 LMT of wheat permitted
  3. PIB — Government approves wheat exports and allows additional wheat product and sugar exports (13 Feb 2026)
  4. APEDA — Wheat product profile (varieties, states, 2025-26 destinations)
  5. Department of Commerce — TradeStat, India’s exports by commodity and country (2025-26)
  6. DGFT Notification 36/2026-27 (15 Sep 2026) — no RCMC needed for consignments up to ₹3 lakh FOB

Trade data

Indian wheat and meslin exports in numbers

From the Department of Commerce’s TradeStat, country by country. US$, Indian financial years (April–March).

Exports in 2025-26
US$ 10.3 mn
-55.2% a year on average, 2020-21 to 2025-26
Change from 2024-25
↑ +406.9%
US$ 2 mn → US$ 10.3 mn
Buyer countries
6
Average export price
US$ 0.33
per kg · 31,185 tonnes shipped · US$ 0.57 the year before
Nepal: US$ 8 mnUnited Arab Emirates: US$ 1.9 mnBhutan: US$ 290kIraq: US$ 40kCôte d’Ivoire: US$ 10kQatar: US$ 10kNepal: US$ 8 mnNepalUnited Arab Emirates: US$ 1.9 mnUnited Arab EmiratesBhutan: US$ 290kIraq: US$ 40kIraqCôte d’Ivoire: US$ 10kCôte d’IvoireQatar: US$ 10kIndia
Where Indian wheat and meslin goes — among our 80 countries, 2025-26
2020-21: US$ 568 mn5682020-212021-22: US$ 2.12 bn2.1k2021-222022-23: US$ 1.52 bn1.5k2022-232023-24: US$ 56.7 mn572023-242024-25: US$ 2 mn2.02024-252025-26: US$ 10.3 mn102025-26
India’s wheat and meslin exports, year by year · US$ million

The price cycle

India’s average export price per kg each year (total value ÷ total quantity). Highest in 2024-25, lowest in 2020-21 — a 116% swing between them. Keep this swing in mind when you quote.

2020-21: US$ 0.26 per kg0.262021-22: US$ 0.29 per kg2022-23: US$ 0.32 per kg2024-25: US$ 0.57 per kg0.572025-26: US$ 0.33 per kg0.332020-212021-222022-232023-242024-252025-26
Average export price of Indian wheat and meslin · US$ per kg · dotted = year in between not available

What next: a projection from the trend

The past trend carried forward — not a forecast by any authority. Sudden changes in policy, prices or demand are not in it.

2020-21: US$ 568 mn2020-212021-22: US$ 2.12 bn2021-222022-23: US$ 1.52 bn2022-232023-24: US$ 56.7 mn2023-242024-25: US$ 2 mn2024-252025-26: US$ 10.3 mn2025-262026-27: US$ 1.4 mn (US$ 123k – US$ 15.2 mn)1.42026-272027-28: US$ 387k (US$ 26k – US$ 5.7 mn)0.42027-28
India’s wheat and meslin exports and projection · hollow bars = projection, line = likely range
By 2027-28: US$ 387k

Likely range US$ 26k to US$ 5.7 mn.

Trend
-71.7% a year
Fit (R²)
0.69
Based on
6 years of official figures

Method: a straight line through the logarithm of yearly exports (log-linear regression); range = ±1 standard error.

Biggest buyer countries

By value in 2025-26. Change is against 2024-25.

Name2025-26Change
1NepalUS$ 8 mn+7,200%
2United Arab EmiratesUS$ 1.9 mn+60.5%
3BhutanUS$ 290k—
4IraqUS$ 40k-94.3%
5Côte d’IvoireUS$ 10k—
6QatarUS$ 10k—
7South Korea——

Where demand is rising and falling

Only countries that buy at least US$ 1 million or 1% of India’s exports of this product. Change from 2024-25 to 2025-26.

High demand

  1. NepalUS$ 110k → US$ 8 mn+7,200%
  2. United Arab EmiratesUS$ 1.2 mn → US$ 1.9 mn+60.5%

Low demand

No sizeable country falls in this list this year.

Which forms sell, and at what price

India’s exports by 8-digit tariff line, 2025-26. Average price = total value ÷ total quantity (TradeStat): the average of every shipment on that line, not the price of any one deal.

Tariff lineValue 2025-26ChangeQuantityAverage price
Cereals, wheat and meslin, other than durum wheat, other than seed — wheat1001 99 10US$ 10.2 mn+646.7%31,130 tonnesUS$ 0.33 per kgwas US$ 0.51
Cereals, wheat and meslin, other than durum wheat, seed — seed1001 91 00US$ 50k-91.1%52 tonnesUS$ 0.97 per kgwas US$ 0.74
Cereals, wheat and meslin, durum wheat, other than seed — durum wheat; other1001 19 00US$ 10k—2.9 tonnesUS$ 3.39 per kg
Cereals, wheat and meslin, durum wheat, seed — seed1001 11 00US$ 0-100%1.0 tonnes—

The world market

Each country’s own recorded exports and imports in UN Comtrade, 2023 (the latest year nearly every country has reported).

World imports
US$ 64.1 bn
2023
India among exporters
#34
of 102 countries
India’s share of world exports
0.1%
US$ 48.2 mn
Left for others to win
US$ 49.8 bn
exported by other countries

Top exporters — your competitors

  1. 1AustraliaUS$ 9.28 bn 18.6%
  2. 2CanadaUS$ 8.85 bn 17.8%
  3. 3USAUS$ 6.13 bn 12.3%
  4. 4FranceUS$ 4.01 bn 8%
  5. 5UkraineUS$ 2.94 bn 5.9%
  6. 6RomaniaUS$ 2.23 bn 4.5%
  7. 7GermanyUS$ 1.98 bn 4%
  8. 8PolandUS$ 1.96 bn 3.9%
  9. 9KazakhstanUS$ 1.85 bn 3.7%
  10. 10BulgariaUS$ 1.68 bn 3.4%

Biggest buyers in the world

  1. 1ChinaUS$ 4.31 bn 6.7%
  2. 2EgyptUS$ 3.8 bn 5.9%
  3. 3IndonesiaUS$ 3.76 bn 5.9%
  4. 4TürkiyeUS$ 3.54 bn 5.5%
  5. 5ItalyUS$ 3.1 bn 4.8%
  6. 6SpainUS$ 2.83 bn 4.4%
  7. 7NigeriaUS$ 2.19 bn 3.4%
  8. 8PhilippinesUS$ 2 bn 3.1%
  9. 9JapanUS$ 1.94 bn 3%
  10. 10MoroccoUS$ 1.91 bn 3%

Opportunity: what these countries buy from the world, and from India

Each country’s own recorded imports in UN Comtrade, latest year it has reported. The long light part of each bar is demand other countries are filling today.

EgyptUS$ 4.44 bnIndia 0% · gap US$ 4.44 bn
IndonesiaUS$ 3.63 bnIndia 0% · gap US$ 3.63 bn
ChinaUS$ 3.48 bnIndia 0% · gap US$ 3.48 bn
ItalyUS$ 2.71 bnIndia 0% · gap US$ 2.71 bn
SpainUS$ 1.86 bnIndia 0% · gap US$ 1.86 bn
JapanUS$ 1.7 bnIndia 0% · gap US$ 1.7 bn
IranUS$ 1.52 bnIndia 0% · gap US$ 1.52 bn
GermanyUS$ 1.49 bnIndia 0% · gap US$ 1.49 bn
VietnamUS$ 1.51 bnIndia 1.8% · gap US$ 1.48 bn
South KoreaUS$ 1.4 bnIndia 0% · gap US$ 1.4 bn

TradeStat’s 2023-24 quantities are double-counted, so that year is left out of the price. Sources: TradeStat — Export Import Data Bank, Department of Commerce · UN Comtrade database (United Nations Statistics Division) · Figures taken 29 October 2026.

Step by step

How to export wheat and meslin

India is the world’s second-largest wheat producer but has usually exported only in surplus years. After the May 2022 ban, exports were limited to government-to-government supplies until 2026, when 25 lakh tonnes were allowed and then the policy became Free (24 Aug 2026). Russia, the EU, Canada, Australia, Ukraine and Argentina dominate world trade. India’s natural markets are Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, the Gulf and East Africa, where freight from Kandla is short.

  1. 01Confirm policy

    Check DGFT for the current wheat policy before quoting — it changed four times between 2022 and 2026.

  2. 02Register

    Get your IEC and APEDA RCMC.

  3. 03Source and clean

    Buy from mandis or aggregators in the procurement season; clean and grade to the contract.

  4. 04Inspection and phytosanitary certificate

    Apply on PQMS; Plant Quarantine inspects the lot (and fumigation or treatment if the importing country requires it) before issuing the certificate.

  5. 05Agree specification, price and payment

    Put grade, tests, packing, Incoterm (FOB or CIF), shipment period and payment (advance, LC or documents against payment) in a written contract. Cover the buyer with ECGC if you give credit.

  6. 06File the shipping bill and ship

    Your customs broker files the shipping bill on ICEGATE with the invoice and packing list. After customs clearance the line issues the bill of lading; get the certificate of origin from the right agency if the buyer needs a trade-agreement rate.

  7. 07Get paid and close the file

    Send original documents through your bank (or to the buyer if paid in advance). When the money arrives, get the e-BRC and claim RoDTEP and drawback where they apply.

Meet buyers

Trade fairs

Questions

Questions about exporting wheat and meslin

Can I export wheat now?
Yes — wheat under 1001 19 00 and 1001 99 10 is Free since 24 Aug 2026 (DGFT Notification 35/2026-27). Recheck DGFT before each contract.
Is wheat flour also free?
Wheat flour has its own notifications (latest 34/2026-27 of 24 Aug 2026); read it on DGFT for your product.
Which countries buy Indian wheat?
In 2025-26 mainly Nepal, the UAE and Bhutan (TradeStat); APEDA also lists Iraq. Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and East Africa bought in earlier surplus years.
What is Karnal bunt?
A fungal disease of wheat; several importing countries demand certification that the lot is free of it.
What RoDTEP does wheat get?
0.9% of FOB with no cap (Appendix 4R), continued to 31 Dec 2026.
Sources (6)
  1. DGFT Notification 35/2026-27 (24 Aug 2026) — export policy of wheat revised from Prohibited to Free
  2. DGFT Notification 13/2026-27 (27 Apr 2026) — export of additional 25 LMT of wheat permitted
  3. PIB — Government approves wheat exports and allows additional wheat product and sugar exports (13 Feb 2026)
  4. APEDA — Wheat product profile (varieties, states, 2025-26 destinations)
  5. DGFT — Appendix 4R, RoDTEP schedule for DTA exports w.e.f. 10 Oct 2024 (Notification No. 32, 30 Sep 2024)
  6. Plant Quarantine (DPPQS) — PQMS portal for phytosanitary certificates

Who buys Indian wheat and meslin

All countries →

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