It is expected that the upcoming crop in India will reach 95 million tons of wheat, more than 85 million tons in the previous year.

"It will take several years of good harvests to increase reserves to a comfortable level", said Chaturvedi, the head of one of India's largest agricultural companies, pointing to the need to increase imports.

India, the second largest wheat importer in the world, has bought over 5 million tonnes of wheat since June last year, after two years of decline in production due to the drought and non-seasonal rains.

According to government sources, India may impose import duty on wheat in the amount of 25 percent by mid-March, resuming it after nearly three-month break due to recent large purchases from abroad.

Chaturvedi said that the Indian government intends to purchase 32-33 million tons of wheat for state reserves, compared to 22-23 million tonnes last year. Imports of wheat for consumption in the southern States is cheaper than transporting it from the Northern regions of the country, he said.

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