What changed, and when
The Directorate General of Foreign Trade issued two notifications on 24 August 2026, both effective immediately. Notification No. 35/2026-27 moved wheat, including durum, from the prohibited to the free export category under Schedule 2 of the ITC (HS) Export Policy. Notification No. 34/2026-27 did the same for wheat flour, maida, semolina (rava), wholemeal atta and resultant atta.
The restrictions had been in place since May 2022, when India curbed exports to protect domestic supply during the disruption that followed the war in Ukraine. The reopening rests on supply: wheat production for 2025-26 was estimated at 120.657 million tonnes in the third advance estimates released on 27 May, and government statements cited depressed domestic farmgate prices and the aim of improving farmer realisations ahead of the coming rabi sowing.
Food grain export policy in India is an instrument of domestic price management and it has moved in both directions before — a limited licensed route was opened earlier in 2026 before the full liberalisation in August. Treat the current position as current, not permanent. Confirm the live DGFT status at the time of contracting, and build a policy-change clause into any term contract that extends beyond the season.
What India offers
Milling wheat (Triticum aestivum)
The volume product, grown across Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Gujarat. Suited to flatbread flour, general bakery and blending. Buyers should specify protein and falling number rather than accepting a variety name, since agronomic conditions move both parameters more than genetics does within a single season.
Sharbati wheat
Grown principally in the Sehore, Vidisha and Ashoknagar belt of Madhya Pradesh. Recognisable by its golden lustre and hard, uniform grain, it sits at the upper end of the Indian protein range and carries a premium. Genuine Sharbati is a defined regional product, and buyers paying the premium should specify origin district in the contract and verify it at loading.
Durum wheat (Triticum durum)
From Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Rajasthan, supplied for semolina and pasta manufacture. Specify vitreousness and yellow berry percentage alongside protein; for a pasta line these matter more than the headline protein figure.
Wheat flour products
Atta (wholemeal), maida (refined flour), and sooji or rava (semolina). These now move freely under Notification No. 34/2026-27. The main destinations are diaspora retail markets in the Gulf and Southeast Asia and industrial bakery buyers. Flour carries shorter shelf life than grain and needs tighter moisture control and faster transit.
Reference specifications
Falling number is the parameter buyers most often leave out and most often regret. It measures alpha-amylase activity and therefore sprout damage, which rises sharply when rain hits a standing crop near harvest. A cargo can meet every protein and moisture clause in the contract and still be unusable for bread if the falling number is low. Name a minimum in writing.
Phytosanitary: Karnal bunt and what it means for your contract
This is the section that decides whether Indian wheat can enter your market at all, and it should be settled before price is discussed.
Karnal bunt is a fungal disease of wheat caused by Tilletia indica. It is present in parts of the Indian wheat belt, and a number of importing countries apply specific phytosanitary import conditions — declarations, tolerance thresholds, treatment requirements, or in some cases restrictions — on wheat originating where the pathogen occurs. The conditions vary by country and are set by each destination’s national plant protection organisation, not by the exporter.
The practical consequence is straightforward. Before contracting, obtain your own NPPO’s stated import conditions for wheat from India in writing, and confirm that the exporter can obtain a phytosanitary certificate carrying exactly those declarations. An exporter who cannot tell you which additional declarations they are able to secure for your specific market has not shipped there.
Alongside this, agree the fumigation protocol and who bears the cost, and confirm whether your market accepts the treatment your exporter proposes.
Documentation
- Phytosanitary certificate carrying the additional declarations your destination requires
- Fumigation certificate naming the treatment, dosage and exposure period
- Certificate of analysis from an accredited laboratory — protein, moisture, test weight, falling number, gluten, damaged and shrivelled grain, foreign matter
- Mycotoxin report where required: aflatoxin, deoxynivalenol (DON), ochratoxin A
- Pesticide residue report against the destination’s limits
- Weight and quality certificate from an independent surveyor such as SGS, Intertek or Cotecna, issued at load port
- Certificate of origin, and preferential origin documentation where a trade agreement applies
- GMO-free declaration where the destination requires it
- Commercial invoice, packing list and bill of lading or charter party bill of lading
- Halal certificate for flour products where the destination market requires it
On any bulk grain contract, agree in writing that quality and weight are determined by an independent surveyor at the load port, and name the surveyor. This single clause prevents most of the disputes that arise in first-time grain relationships.
Packing, loading and shipment mode
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Bagged wheat | 50 kg PP woven bags; 25 kg and 1 MT jumbo bags on request |
| Flour and atta | 10 kg, 25 kg and 50 kg; multi-wall paper or PP with liner; retail packs to buyer artwork |
| 20 ft container | Approximately 25 to 27 MT — weight limited, bulk liner or bagged |
| 40 ft container | Bagged only; weight limit reached before volume |
| Bulk vessel | Handysize and supramax parcels for larger programmes |
| Container prep | Clean, dry, odour-free; kraft lining and desiccant for humid transits |
| Marking | Lot number, crop year, net and gross weight, origin |
Ports, routes and transit
Kandla and Mundra in Gujarat serve the Gulf, East Africa and Southeast Asia. Kolkata and Haldia serve Bangladesh and the eastern trade. For Nepal and Bangladesh a substantial share moves overland — Raxaul–Birgunj for Nepal, Petrapole–Benapole for Bangladesh — which is usually faster and cheaper than a sea leg for those two markets.
| Destination | Route | Indicative transit |
|---|---|---|
| Chattogram, Bangladesh | Sea ex Kolkata / Haldia | 4 to 8 days |
| Bangladesh (land) | Petrapole–Benapole | Rail and road, days |
| Nepal | Raxaul–Birgunj | Rail and road, days |
| Jebel Ali, UAE | Sea ex Mundra | 4 to 6 days |
| Colombo, Sri Lanka | Sea ex Tuticorin / Chennai | 3 to 6 days |
| Jakarta, Indonesia | Sea ex Mundra / Chennai | 14 to 20 days |
| Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam | Sea ex Mundra / Chennai | 16 to 22 days |
Season and availability
Wheat is India’s principal rabi crop. Sowing runs from late October into December, harvest falls in March and April, and mandi arrivals concentrate from April into June. Government procurement for the public distribution system takes a large share of the crop immediately after harvest, which is the period when open-market availability and price are most volatile.
For an annual programme, the practical window to contract is April to July, when the new crop is available, quality is known and stocks have not yet been drawn down. Buying against the tail of the old crop late in the calendar year usually means paying more for grain with a longer storage history.
How to qualify an Indian wheat supplier
- Verify the Importer Exporter Code issued by DGFT and the APEDA registration-cum-membership certificate.
- Ask which specific destination markets the exporter has shipped grain to, and request the corresponding phytosanitary certificate format with additional declarations.
- Confirm the exporter can nominate an independent surveyor at load port and will accept surveyor-determined quality and weight as final.
- Request a pre-shipment sample against your own specification and test protein, moisture and falling number independently.
- Establish where the grain is sourced and stored, and how long it has been in storage. Crop year should appear on the contract.
- Start with a container programme or a part cargo before committing to a full vessel.
- Agree the policy-change clause: what happens to an unshipped balance if export policy is revised mid-contract.
Frequently asked questions
- Can India export wheat now?
- Yes. On 24 August 2026 DGFT moved wheat from prohibited to free under Notification No. 35/2026-27, and wheat flour, maida, semolina and wholemeal atta under Notification No. 34/2026-27, both with immediate effect. Confirm the live position before contracting, as food grain policy can be revised.
- What is Karnal bunt and does it affect my import?
- A fungal disease of wheat caused by Tilletia indica. Several importing countries apply specific phytosanitary conditions on wheat from countries where it occurs. Obtain your own plant protection authority’s stated import conditions in writing before contracting.
- What protein does Indian wheat carry?
- Typically 10.5 to 12.5 percent on a dry basis for bread wheat, with wet gluten around 24 to 28 percent. Sharbati sits at the upper end. Durum is supplied separately for semolina and pasta.
- How much loads into a container?
- Around 25 to 27 MT in a 20-foot container, bagged or in a bulk liner. Containers are weight limited for wheat. Larger volumes move in bulk vessels.
- Can you supply atta and maida as well as grain?
- Yes. Flour products move freely under Notification No. 34/2026-27, in bulk bags or retail packs to your artwork.
- What is the minimum order quantity?
- One full container load for grain and flour. Bulk parcels are quoted separately.
- Wheat and wheat flour moved from prohibited to free export on 24 August 2026 under DGFT Notifications No. 35/2026-27 and No. 34/2026-27, both effective immediately.
- Specify falling number alongside protein — 250 seconds minimum for milling wheat, 300 for premium. A cargo can meet every protein clause in the contract and still be unusable for bread.
- Karnal bunt decides market access before price does: obtain your plant protection authority’s import conditions in writing and confirm the exporter can secure those exact additional declarations.
- A 20 ft container is weight limited at roughly 25 to 27 MT; larger programmes move on handysize or supramax bulk vessels.
- Grain export policy is an instrument of domestic price management and has moved in both directions — build a policy-change clause into any contract running beyond the season.
| Parameter | Milling wheat | Premium / Sharbati | Durum |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protein (dry basis) | 10.5–12.0% | 11.5–12.5% | 11.0–13.0% |
| Moisture | 12.0% max | 12.0% max | 12.0% max |
| Test weight (hectolitre) | 76 kg/hl min | 78 kg/hl min | 78 kg/hl min |
| Wet gluten | 24–28% | 26–30% | — |
| Falling number | 250 sec min | 300 sec min | 250 sec min |
| Damaged kernels | 2.0% max | 1.0% max | 2.0% max |
| Shrivelled / broken | 6.0% max | 4.0% max | 6.0% max |
| Foreign matter | 1.0% max | 0.5% max | 1.0% max |
| Other food grains | 1.0% max | 0.5% max | 1.0% max |
| Vitreous kernels | — | — | 70% min |
| Live insects | Nil | Nil | Nil |
Falling number is the parameter buyers most often leave out and most often regret. It measures alpha-amylase activity and therefore sprout damage, which rises sharply when rain hits a standing crop near harvest. A cargo can meet every protein and moisture clause in the contract and still be unusable for bread if the falling number is low. Name a minimum in writing.
| Milling Wheat | On request | up |
| Sharbati Wheat | On request | up |
| Durum Wheat | On request | up |
| Wheat Flour / Atta | On request | up |
| Oct 25 | Rabi Wheat Sowing Begins |
| Mar 15 | Harvest Opens — Central and West India |
| Apr 30 | Peak Mandi Arrivals |
| Jun 30 | New-Crop Contracting Window Closes |
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