Imported wheat delayed, to land in India on April 23

New Delhi, Apr 12 (UNI) Imported wheat from Australia, slated to reach India by March-end has been delayed by about one month and is now expected to land in Chennai on April 23.

A cargo of 50,000 tonne of wheat has already been dispatched from Port Giles of Australia for India. As per the original schedule, two to three lakh tonnes of five lakh tonnes of the wheat from the Australian Wheat Board (AWB) should have reached India by this time , official sources said here.

The shipment will be quarantined for quality standards and will be tested for presence of pesticides and insecticides like hydrogen phosphide whose limit has been set at zero by the Indian authorities.

The imported wheat contracted at 178.75 US dollars CIF, would cost in India at around Rs 1000 a quintal while the domestic harvest has already started hitting the markets.

The local produce is being procured at Minimum Support Price (MSP) at Rs 650 a quintal by the FCI and state agencies of the wheat producing states while the private agencies have been purchasing the stocks at Rs 700 to 750 a quintal.

Official circles, however, now have begun realising that there was no need of importing the wheat as stocks in the Central Pool were 21 lakh tonnes on April 1 when new harvest began arriving in markets.

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