The government may reject the Canadian offer regarding its wheat import to Pakistan, well-placed sources told Business Recorder. The Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Livestock (Minfal) was given approval by the Economic Monitoring Committee (EMC) to purchase 0.5 million tonnes of white Canadian wheat on deferred payment.
"We do not want to purchase wheat against the specifications set by our government regarding the sanitary and phyto-sanitary conditions of the commodity. In other words, we do not want to compromise on our terms and regulations," the reliable sources said.
They said that in international market, prices of wheat causing reduction in its cultivated area. Just a week ago, the prices of wheat were 320 dollars per tonne, but now it was showing a downward trend by 307 dollars per tonne that is 14 percent less than that of the last year (351 dollars)."
According to the sources, in spite of a considerable decrease in wheat prices in the international market, Canada is insisting to import its wheat at 474 dollars per tonne, which is not justifiable.
On the other hand, Australia is also insisting to export its wheat to Pakistan. "Australian wheat is not disease-free, so we would certainly insist upon a solid proof from the Australian authorities," the sources said. A reliable source in the Food Ministry told this scribe that a meeting would be held on September 29 here in the Food Ministry where all of the four provincial food secretaries would decide about the minimum guarantee price of wheat. "This price may exceed Rs 800 per 40-kilogram", he added.
He said that after October 15, the Trading Corporation of Pakistan (TCP) would float a tender for the import of 0.75 million tonnes of wheat from the international market, which would sum up the government''s total wheat import to 2.5 million tonnes.
Business Recorder was told that 14 new wheat consignments, carrying 0.5 million tonnes of imported wheat have reached Karachi. "Before November 15, a consignment of 0.25 million tonnes of wheat would arrive at the port from the US, the agreement would be signed between the US authorities and the Food Ministry before September 30", the source disclosed. They said that there was almost 3.3 million tonnes of wheat stock available with the government. "We are expecting that the wheat prices in international market can further decline. That is why, the country is delaying the tender to be issued by the TCP for the import of 0.75 million tons of wheat", they said.