India, the world's second-largest wheat producer, lifted all restrictions on wheat exports on 24 August 2026, ending a ban that had been in place since 2022, when Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine sent global grain prices soaring. The move comes after a record domestic harvest of 120 million tonnes pushed stockpiles to an all-time high, easing food security concerns, while also putting downward pressure on prices and squeezing farmers' incomes — a sensitive issue for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government amid renewed agricultural unrest. The decision could help ease supply pressures for import-dependent countries across Asia, Africa, and the Middle East, where ongoing disruptions to Black Sea shipping have already curtailed grain flows from Russia and Ukraine, though the overall impact will depend on how much wheat New Delhi ultimately exports.