India is not an option for Pakistan to import one million tons wheat to meet possible shortfall in the future. Indian commodity does not fall in the category of soft/white grain- one of the basic conditions to qualify to participate in the tender.
Indian commodity is hard/ brown in its kind and the policy makers in Islamabad say that such kind of grain was not fit for blending with Pakistan's home grown commodity.
Also several other wheat exporting countries including Argentina and Ukraine would ultimately disqualify for the tender due to this basic condition.
A member of the technical committee engaged in working out modalities for the tender told Business Recorder here on Saturday that Pakistan would import soft/white grain since it could be blended with the home grown commodity.
The member said, "Historically, Pakistan imports soft/white wheat to meet its shortfall and the same condition would stay this time to import wheat.
This basic condition of soft/ white commodity would leave three options-US, Canada and Australia- for Islamabad for import of wheat. The three are major producers of soft/ white wheat.
The member said that Australia would be eligible to participate in the tender despite having bad experience with a Pakistani firm for a consignment of 0.150 million tons.
It may be noted that Pakistan had rejected four ships, carrying 0.150 million tons Australian wheat early this year after laboratory reports that commodity was infested with kernal bunt bacteria. Australia never accepted the laboratory tests though.
After a break of three years, Pakistan is again short of wheat production and it needed more than one million tons to meet the possible shortfall.
The matter was discussed threadbare at the highest level and this followed with an Economic Co-ordination Committee of the Cabinet (ECC) decision that the government should act quickly to import at least one million tons of wheat to meet the demand in the coming months.
The Trading Corporation of Pakistan (TCP) has been given the task.
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