Bids for wheat import invited by STC

New Delhi, Mar 12 (UNI) The State Trading Corporation has invited bids for import of 500,000 tonnes of wheat at zero customs duty despite a protest in Parliament over these imports.

The government-owned STC had floated tenders last month not only for the supply of wheat but also for the maritime open insurance cover.

According to official sources, 500,000 tonnes of wheat would land at the selected ports of Mangalore, Chennai, Tuticorin, Kochi and Visakhapatnam.

The foodgrain must start arriving from later this month and the shipments would continue till the middle of May, as per the details worked out by STC.

The Finance Ministry has already issued a notification allowing the wheat imports at zero duty. The imports have also been cleared by the Directorate-General of Foreign Trade in the Commerce Ministry.

Meanwhile, Opposition MPs in both the Rajya Sabha and the Lok Sabha lodged their protest against allowing import of wheat arguing the move would hurt the Indian farmers.

The government, on its part, had stated that the step was temporary in the wake of a sharp increase in the prices of the staple food.

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