India's export of grains up for fiscal year 2008-09

Indian importers have the benefit of having custom grown wheat in Australia, from July 1 this year and exports of grains have been on the rise.

With Australia ending the monopoly of AWB Ltd., from July 1 this year, Indian roller flour mills can have custom grown wheat in Australia. Mr. Rusell Philips, General Manager (Crops and Productivity) at the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry said Indian importers can specifically have wheat grown by Australian farmers according to their demands. They can even enter into contract farming, grow it in Australia and ship it back to India. The contract can even be long-term.

He added he hope Indian buyers will take advantage of these benefits. Though Australia does not see India importing much wheat in the near future given its record production this year and ample stocks, it expects India to be a net importer in the long run.

On the other hand, overall exports of oilmeal during the first half (April-September) of the current financial year (FY2008-09) have increased to 2.5 million tonnes from 1.4 million tonnes during the same period last year, up by 72 percent due to an increase in the export of soymeal, rapeseed meal and peanut meal, according to data compiled by the Solvent Extractors' Association of India (SEA).

However, exports of oilmeal for the month of September reduced to 188,000 tonnes from 362,000 tonnes in September 2007 and 425,000 tonnes in August 2008. Soymeal exports during the first half of the FY 2008-09 increased from 777,000 tonnes to 1.7 million tonnes, rapeseed meal exports went up from 394,000 tonnes to 604,000 tonnes and peanut meal increased from 12,275 tonnes to 27,033 tonnes.

The export of other oilmeals such as rice-bran extraction and castor seed extraction however, have decreased in the first half of the financial year of 2008-09

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