The Port Qasim Authority (PQA) has expressed grave concern over slow lifting of wheat by rail and road to the NWFP and Balochistan which has resulted in accumulation of over 160,000 tons of wheat lying in open storage area. The PQA Traffic department has asked the Trading Corporation of Pakistan (TCP) to arrange tarpaulin to cover the wheat, which could be damaged by winter rain expected any moment.
Sources said that lifting was slow due to shortage of railway wagons and trucks for transportation of wheat to the NWFP and Balochistan.
Against a clear advice by the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (Minfal) to Pakistan Railway for providing 240 wagons daily to handle the massive wheat operation, Railway is only supplying 70 to 80 wagons. Similarly private truck owners were not ready to lift the wheat at the Government approved rate of Rs 1,000 per ton against a market rate of Rs 1500 per ton.
The PQA sources further 200,000 tons of wheat is expected to arrive at the port by the end of December, which would further deteriorate the storage position.
Meanwhile the Secretary Minfal has advised the NWFP and Balochistan governments to take necessary steps to expedite the pace of lifting of wheat from Port Qasim to clear the balance stocks.
The Secretary has requested the Ministry of Commerce to grant more demurrage free days to the TCP to enable it handle the massive wheat operation.
Meanwhile, the lifting of allocated wheat stocks would further improve from December as the Sindh Government has allowed flour mills to lift the wheat directly from Port Qasim. Hitherto the wheat was lifted by the Sindh government transport and taken to the government godowns for re-allocation to flour mills. The arrangement, which worked throughout the month of October and November cost the government double handling charges.