Nepal will begin exporting chakki atta (whole wheat flour made from whole wheat grains using traditional grinding stone mills) to China soon, to meet the rising demand from the Indian and Nepali diaspora, a Nepal miller said.

Nepal, which had depended on India for wheat until 2023 when New Delhi banned exports, imports wheat from Ukraine and Australia. India permitted exports of 2 lakh tonnes of wheat in January through the National Cooperatives Export Ltd (NCEL). But Nepal traders said it was permitted late, and the quantity was insufficient.

Nepal imposes 5 per cent duty on wheat imports from India but in the case of countries such as Australia and Ukraine, it is 10 per cent. 

Talks on

The miller, who did not wish to be identified, told businessline that talks are on with China and exports may start in a couple of weeks. However, he refused to divulge details such as quantity and cost. 

He said the type of wheat available in China is not suitable for making rotis, and Nepal mills were targeting the diaspora. 

Till February in the current fiscal year, Nepal imported 72.7 per cent of its requirements from Ukraine and the rest from Australia. India accounted for 97.8 per cent of Nepal’s wheat imports before the Centre banned shipments in 2022 after the Food Corporation of India could not procure enough supplies for its buffer stocks.  

Why not India?

In 2023-24, Japan was the top importer of flour, semolina and chakki atta from Nepal, accounting for 22.5 per cent of the total shipments. Nepal exports wheat products to Thailand, Malaysia, the UK and the UAE too.

Nepal’s roller flour milling industry, comprising 40-odd mills, has a capacity of 1.95 million tonnes. The Himalayan Kingdom produces 21.5 million tonnes of wheat annually. 

An Indian industry source wondered why India cannot export wheat products such as flour when Nepal, which depends on imports, ships out flour.

The writer is at the conclave at the invitation of The Roller Flour Millers’ Federation of India