Centre To Investigate Reasons Behind Turkey Rejected India’s Wheat Consignment
Turkey’s Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry rejected the shipment based on the concern that the consignment contained Rubella. The rubella virus causes measles, commonly known as German measles, a contagious virus.
To stave off domestic inflation, the Centre on May 17 loosened restrictions on wheat exports from May 13. Following a spike in wheat prices, the commodity has been put under the ‘prohibited’ category. Phytosanitary concerns have forced Turkey to deny a wheat consignment from India permission to enter the country.
Fifty-six thousand eight hundred seventy-seven tonnes of durum wheat will now be shipped back to the Gujarat port of Kandala due to this decision made by the Turkish authorities. Turkish authorities claim these wheat contain the Rubella virus. Despite a country-wide wheat crisis resulting from the Russian-Ukrainian war, Turkey returned the Indian wheat on May 29. Phytosanitary problems are reported in the consignment of grain.
Why Did Turkey Reject The Consignment?
Turkey’s Ministry of agriculture and forestry rejected the shipment over worries about Rubella disease in the Indian wheat shipment. Rubella is a virus-borne disease that is contagious. People who contract it generally have mild symptoms, including a low-grade fever, sore throat, and a rash originating on their face and spreading throughout their body. Infected individuals cough or sneeze tiny droplets of germs into the air. These droplets can travel to other surfaces and cause Rubella to spread.
Contagiousness can last up to a week before and after the rash appears in people infected with the virus. It was common among children up until the 1960s. Several countries have requested more than 1.5 million tonnes of wheat from India in the last fiscal year to offset shortages that were triggered by the invasion of Ukraine by Russia, according to trade and government sources.
How to Prevent Rubella?
You can get a rubella vaccine to prevent the disease, which stands for measles, mumps, and Rubella. A flu shot should be administered at the age of 12 to 15 months and again at the age of 4 to 6 years. Rubella disease is said to be prevented for life by the MMR vaccine. Rubella does not cause symptoms in around 25 to 50% of people who contract it.
Rubella is a mild infection and people who catch it complaint of mild to no symptoms. However, it can cause complications. Rubella can cause arthritis in the fingers, wrists, and knees in about one month for women who get infected with it. The health body reports that an ear infection or inflammation of the brain can occur rarely. Furthermore, Rubella may cause serious health problems to a developing baby if a pregnant woman infects it.
Despite The Ban On Exports, India Became The Troubleshooter
Wheat prices in Turkey are incredibly high. The government is examining the possibility of buying wheat overseas. Private wheat exports have been banned in India due to domestic demand. The Indian government has, however, offered assistance to 12 countries. The Indian government still sent 60,000 tonnes of wheat to Egypt despite the export ban. Due to the Russia-Ukraine war, the global wheat supply chain has been affected by countries like Turkey and by countries everywhere.
Worry For India And Other Countries
Wheat is one of the most important crops in both Russia and Ukraine. According to the Global Hunger Index, every second to the third piece of bread is made of Ukrainian wheat in Africa and the Middle East. Russian and Ukrainian wheat makes up one-fourth of the wheat sold on the global market. As a result of Turkey’s decision, other countries face a dilemma when wheat from India reaches them in the next few days. India is now the only source of wheat for those countries. Such a situation may aggravate problems of the troubled countries, as Turkey complains about Indian wheat.
Traders in India are also concerned about the recent development since at least 1.5 million tonnes of wheat are scheduled to be exported. Any importing country would be involved with the presence of Rubella plant disease. The large consignment was expected to benefit farmers, but it was also anticipated to push up the price of wheat in India, which has already increased by 15% over the last few weeks.
Why India Banned The Export Of Wheat?
After India forecasted that its wheat production would be 3% lower to 106 million tonnes due to an early heatwave, compared with a previous forecast of 111.32 tonnes made in February 2022, the country suspended wheat exports. In recent months, wheat prices have risen as Indian wheat has been in high demand on the global markets since Ukraine exports have slowed because of the Russian-Ukrainian war. Wheat exports were restricted to stabilize the price of wheat and protect it from international price fluctuations.
edited and proofread by nikita sharma
