Kathmandu, Jan. 27 -- The eight-month-long ban on the export of wheat by the Indian government has forced 80-85 percent of flour mills in Nepal to shut down.

Flour producers said that the ban has also created a shortage of refined flour and wheat flour in the market.

Dinesh Kumar Agrawal, senior vice president of the Nepal Flour Mills Association, said that domestically produced wheat is sufficient to operate a flour mill for five months only. "For the remaining months, producers are dependent on imported wheat."

India imposed a ban on wheat export on May 13 last year after unseasonably hot weather affected the wheat crop, sending local prices soaring and also amid rising food security risks to India.

According to Indian media, the In...