NEW DELHI: The country has imported 3.76 lakh tonnes of wheat from Australia in the first six months of this fiscal taking advantage of low international prices, the government informed Parliament today.
It also made clear that there was no proposal to import wheat from Australia on government account. Placing wheat import data before the Lok Sabha, Food Minister Ram Vilas Paswan said that traders/millers have imported 3.76 lakh tonnes of wheat during April-September of this fiscal from Australia.
“Traders/millers might have imported wheat due to its lower international prices”, Paswan said in a written reply to the Lok Sabha. Wheat imports from Australia remained highest at 1,90,531 tonnes in July and at 97,078 tonnes in June this year, he said.
To another query whether the government has decided to import wheat from Australia, France and Russia, Paswan said:”There is no such proposal to import wheat on government account.”
Private firms have imported high-protein wheat varieties as the domestic crop was damaged due to rains and hailstorms earlier this year. To restrict overseas purchase of wheat, the government in October raised import duty on the grain to 25 per cent from 10 per cent till March next year.
Wheat production in India, the world’s second-biggest grower, is estimated to have declined to 88.94 million tonnes in the 2014-15 crop year, as against the record production of 95.85 million tonnes in 2013-14.
