India has banned the export of wheat, the ban takes effect immediately, the Indian Ministry of Commerce and Industry said.

"Wheat export policy... 'ban' with immediate effect," the ministry said in a statement.

The ministry noted that exports would be permitted "in case of shipments in which an irrevocable letter of credit was issued on or before the date of this notice", and based on the permission of the Government of India to meet the food security needs of other countries "based on the request of their governments" .

“Given the sudden surge in world wheat prices due to many factors, which puts the food security of India, neighboring and other vulnerable countries at risk…, the Government of India is committed to ensuring the food security of India, neighboring and other vulnerable developing countries, which are negatively affected by sudden changes in the global wheat market and who cannot access adequate supplies of wheat," the ministry said.

Earlier, the Indian authorities revised the forecast for wheat production in 2021-2022, reducing it by 5.7%, to 105 million tons, due to the early start of summer, which affected crop yields.