This whole episode is once again an adverse comment on the working style of the present government. Is the decision-making process within the government no longer based on solid data and transparent estimation of reality?

If this news is taken out of curiosity, then it is not the fault of the people that the Indian government is now going to encourage the import of wheat. It has also been discussed in the international media that India will probably remove the 40 percent import duty on wheat imports so that Korabari can meet the possible shortfall in the domestic market by importing wheat from outside at a competitive price. The news is curious because Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared in March this year that India was in a position to feed the whole world after the Ukraine war broke out. Then suddenly the Government of India, bringing a significant change in the policy, allowed wheat export. But within two months, the government realized that this move could push up the already high food inflation rate in Indian markets. So exports were banned in May.

Now the news of encouraging imports in August has been discussed. The reason is a sharp decline in wheat production in the country. The latest estimates of the government and the market are that this year’s wheat yield will be much lower than the earlier estimates. Due to this estimate, there was a trend of an increase in the price of wheat in July. So now the idea is to find a solution to the problem by promoting imports. But this whole episode is once again an adverse comment on the working style of the present government. After all, is the decision-making process within the government no longer based on solid data and transparent estimation of reality? Experts have pointed out that India has never been a major exporter or importer of wheat. But suddenly by trying to become an exporter, the compulsion to become an importer has come to the fore. When there is news of a fall in forex reserves every week, then it is not good news. However, it seems that it cannot free itself from the government’s ad hoc approach from demonetization to the implementation of GST.