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Wheat export to Egypt
being streamlined
KARACHI- An official delegation would leave for Cairo soon to
hold talks with the Egyptian official for the removal of
quarantine conditions on wheat import from Pakistan, official
sources said Tuesday.
Besides the TCP officials, the team will comprise technical
experts who would sort out the matter with their Egyptian
counterpart.
The sources said once the quarantine condition is removed
Pakistan could easily cater to the wheat import needs of Egypt
up to one million tons per annum. Egypt imports around six
million tons of wheat.
Despite a ban on wheat import from Pakistan for being infected
with 'Karnal Bunt' disease caused by smut-ball fungus of genus
'Tilletia', a private party of Egypt recently imported around
25,000 tons wheat.
The Egyptian importer lab-tested the sample of Pakistani wheat
and did not find any such disease. The company's chief
executive recently led a delegation to Islamabad to negotiate
import of up to 300,000 tons.
As the disease of 'Karnal' is named after a wheat growing area
in India, therefore, it had been commonly known that Pakistani
wheat may have a similar problem which is not true, the
sources said. Pakistan is keen to remain a regular exporter of
wheat in the world market even if it has to contribute a small
quantity up to 500,000 tons.
In order to achieve this goal the government has framed wheat
export policy, which assigns private sector the job to export
wheat at Rs8500 per ton and get refund on the export
incidentals up to Rs3500.
Courtesy Dawn March
27, 2002 |
Pakissan.com;
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