Wheat export ban: Hope India will reconsider, says US after China’s defence

Days after China’s defence of India’s decision to ban wheat exports, the US has said that they hope India will reconsider. It also said that they are encouraging nations not to restrict exports. 

US Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield, during a New York Foreign Press Center briefing on global food security, was asked to comment on India’s decision to limit exports because of possible shortage due to excessive heat.

“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,” said the ambassador. 

This comes after China defended India last week amid the West’s criticism of the decision. In an article in Global Times, the Chinese government’s mouthpiece, China asked if the West is so concerned about the food supply crisis, then why won’t they themselves hike exports to stabilise the supply. 

German Agriculture Minister Cem Ozdemir had criticised India and said that if everyone started imposing restrictions then that would worsen the crisis. 

China said that India’s wheat exports are insignificant in comparison to countries such as US, Canada, the EU and Australia, which are some of the major exporters. It added that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the subsequent sanctions on the former are the reasons behind the crisis. 

“Blaming India won't solve the food problem, although there is no denying that India's move to stop its wheat exports may push up wheat prices a little bit. The West just wants to shift the blame to the developing economies, including India,” it said. 

Also read: China defends India over wheat export ban, says West just wants to shift blame