India has dropped a plan to double a wheat import tax to 40%, in a sign it expects imports to make up for a shortfall in domestic production for the third year in a row. As late as a few weeks ago, the food, trade and finance ministries were considering raising the tax to 40% to ensure that local prices remained steady and millions of domestic farmers got good returns for their harvest. The government tries to keep local wheat prices steady until at least May/June, by when farmers would have sold their wheat crop. The grain is grown only once in a year in India, with plantings in October and harvests from March.