Turkey not importing wheat from India, says ministry

ANKARA

The Agriculture and Forestry Ministry has dismissed claims in some media outlets suggesting that Turkey is importing wheat from India.

“Turkey is self-sufficient and one of the top 10 countries in the world in agriculture production. It easily meets food demand from its growing population, thanks to its strong agriculture infrastructure,” the ministry said in a statement posted on Twitter.

The ministry noted that the country is net exporter of agriculture products, with export revenues amounting to $25 billion.

“Claims that Turkey will face a wheat crisis after India banned exports of wheat and that bread prices will increase because the country cannot buy wheat from Ukraine and Russia are also not true,” it said, noting that India uses most of its wheat production to meet domestic consumption and that India stopped wheat exports as a measure to fight rising inflation.

India last week banned exports of wheat, citing a risk to its food security, partly due to the war in Ukraine.

A key aim of India’s export ban is to control rising domestic prices. Global wheat prices have risen by more than 40 percent since the beginning of the year.

The Agriculture Ministry recalled that Turkey imports wheat mostly to be used in the production of items that are exported to other countries.

The country imported $2.44 billion worth of wheat, whereas its exports of wheat products, such as flour and pasta, stood at $3.23 billion in 2021, which resulted in a surplus of $795 million in wheat trade, the ministry said.

It added that the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change and the war between Russia and Ukraine are impacting the global agriculture and food sectors and that the ministry is following all these developments closely, taking necessary measures to protect farmers and consumers.