Wheat is the second most grown and consumed crop in India after rice. It holds significant cultural and dietary importance for especially the north Indian population globally and is widely consumed in many Indian households, even in New Zealand.
Be it the form of roti, chapati, naan, puri, parantha or bread, wheat is a critical component of the diet of Indians.
But if one has recently visited any Indian supermarket, the shelves of atta (wholemeal wheat flour, originating from the Indian subcontinent) are lying empty. The Kiwi Indians cannot find their favourite Indian atta brands, be it Aashirvaad Aata, Grewal, Pillsbury or Silver Coin, to name a few.
Kiwi-Indian Harpreet Kaur of Papatoetoe says, "I have been to several Indian supermarkets in Papataoetoe and nearby areas but can't find atta. I have been told there is an acute shortage everywhere, and we will have to wait to get atta. This is stressful, as our Indian food, especially Punjabi, is incomplete without atta.”
Indian Weekender spoke to a cross section of people, including retailers, importers, and restauranteurs, to know the reason behind the shortage and its impact, especially on the Kiwi Indian community in NZ.
Navtej Randhawa, a prominent community leader and owner of Big Mart supermarket on Kolmar Road, Papatoetoe, explains, “India is one of the largest producers of wheat in the world. But India's wheat exports have been banned since May 13, 2022. Last year, the wheat harvest in India shrunk due to severe heatwaves, which is why people have been experiencing this shortage."
In a media interview in January 2023, the Indian Director General of Foreign Trade, Santosh Kumar Sarangi, confirmed that the Centre would take an appropriate decision on the demand to lift the wheat export ban at the time of crop harvest around March-April.
He had said, “The wheat crop is harvested in India around March-April, and the government would take an appropriate decision regarding the wheat export ban then. Also, when it is felt there is an equilibrium in wheat's demand and supply, arrangements would be made to allow the export.”
Importers expect the situation to improve later this year as India hopes a bumper crop harvest starts hitting markets in March-April. As of January 20, wheat acreage reached 34.1 million hectares, up from 34 million tons a year earlier, data from the country's Ministry of Agriculture showed.
Suneet Gupta, Director and Founder of Kashish Foods - a leading importer of Rice, Lentils, Spices and various other FMCG brands, says "We know there is a global shortage of wheat in the market. We are a leading importer of Indian Atta in the NZ market and we have never seen this situation before here. The Indian government has unfortunately banned the export of wheat related products and due to this, there is a huge Atta shortage in the market. After India's ban last year, some importers started importing Atta from Australia to be able to provide and cater for the NZ market. However, even the Australian Supply source has dried up now - most countries are now dealing with an Atta shortage. We are trying our best to be able to import Atta, exploring opportunities in Dubai currently. This is just temporary, it is a matter of time before things get settled. Till then, we have to stay strong, deal with this situation and look for other food alternatives."
Manjeet Chawla, the owner of Harman Impex, NZ’s leading importer of Indian products, expects India to lift its wheat export ban in a few months as production is likely to increase. “ I believe things will get better in a few months. In the meantime, Indian consumers in NZ should try to change their diet and try other flours such as bajre ka atta, makke ka atta, Soybean atta or Ragi atta. They can try NZ-made atta for the time beings,” he says.
Even Indian restaurant owners feel the brunt of this atta shortage.
Talking to Indian Weekender Ashish Bhatia, owner of Hobson Indian takeaway in Auckland CBD, said, "It is an everyday struggle now to find atta so that we can keep our restaurant functioning and serving our customers. I have no choice now, and to get atta for my restaurant, I call Indian grocery stores every day in all parts of Auckland. And then, whoever says he has atta, I have to buy it without asking the brand or the price. Sometimes I travel to West Auckland and some days to South. It is a very challenging time. I am just praying for this situation to get sorted."
Sharing the same sentiment, Paramdeep Kaur of Shubh Indian restaurant in Sandringham reveals that it is getting tough to sustain business due to this shortage and increasing prices of vegetables and other ingredients. She said, “We specialise in the unique flavours of Vegetarian Punjabi cuisine, and no Punjabi meal is complete without roti, naan or parantha. With this atta shortage, we are struggling to serve our customers. Until now, we somehow managed as we had atta stock, but I don't know when we can sustain it. I hope this problem is solved at the earliest."
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