The United States, which has always claimed that India's wheat import norms are too stringent, has once again asked the Indian government to relax these norms.

The US Administration says relaxation of the norms would enable American companies that can export wheat to India will help them do so.

The US, one of the world's largest wheat exporters, has been lobbying for a change in the norms since 2006. One of the requirements for wheat to be imported into India is fumigation with methyl bromide, a chemical that is not used in most developed countries.

The Indian government believes this chemical is required to kill certain pests found in the US that thrive in the tropical climate of the subcontinent.

The US has also been seeking a relaxation in norms applied internationally to ascertain pesticide content in wheat. The US Administration has pointed out that the Codex norms, which are the internationally recognized norms should be relaxed for its imports as its internal standards are lower than these.

The Codex standard is an international food standard accepted by 146 countries, but is not legally binding.

In 2006, the Indian government imported 5.5mt million tones wheat from abroad; private companies imported 8,00,000 tonnes. This was the country's first import of the grain in six years. Most imports came from Australia.