China has slammed G7 countries for criticizing India's decision to ban wheat exports, accusing the West of attempting to shift blame for a potential global food crisis onto developing economies such as India. Last week, India banned wheat exports due to rising domestic prices, citing a threat to the country's food security. The G7- Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, the United States, and the European Union- condemned India's decision, and German Agriculture Minister Cem Ozdemir stated that it "would worsen the crisis."
"The military conflict between Russia and Ukraine, which account for approximately 30% of global wheat exports, has sent shockwaves through the global market, posing a serious threat to the global food supply." "Now that G7 agriculture ministers have urged India not to ban wheat exports, why aren't G7 nations themselves moving to stabilize food market supply by increasing exports?" asks an editorial in Global Times, an arm of the Chinese Communist Party's flagship newspaper, the People's Daily.
"Blaming India will not solve the food crisis, though there is no denying that India's decision to halt wheat exports will raise wheat prices slightly." "The West simply wishes to shift blame to developing economies, including India," the editorial stated.
“What should developing economies do to ensure food security in the face of an impending food crisis? "First and foremost, each country must increase local food production and reduce reliance on imported grain," it continued.
Regardless of the overall ban on wheat exports, India will allow exports to countries that require wheat for food security reasons based on their governments' requests, according to a notification from India's Directorate General of Foreign Trade.
The Chinese tabloid pointed out that, despite being the world's second-largest wheat producer, India accounted for only a small portion of global wheat exports. Some developed economies, such as the United States, Canada, the European Union, and Australia, on the other hand, are major wheat exporters.
"If some Western countries decide to reduce wheat exports in the aftermath of a potential global food crisis, they will be in no position to criticize India, a country that is under enormous pressure to secure its own food supply in order to feed its massive population," the report said.
The G7's performance in stabilizing the global food supply was criticized in the editorial. "For example, the US Department of Agriculture reduced its estimate for US wheat exports in 2021-22 to 785 million bushels in April, the lowest level since 2015-16," it said.
