India is reluctant to soften quality control on wheat imports

New Delhi, Apr 28 (UNI) With strong reservations from agricultural scientists, the government is reluctant to soften the quality control parameters for new wheat imports to enable a wider participation of the overseas exporters in the tenders expected to be called within a fortnight.

The Food Ministry has consulted the farm scientists who opposed the relaxation of the quarantine standards expressing fear that any one of the 10 identified dangerous weeds in the world, could enter India with imported wheat stocks, official sources said here today.

Earlier, Parthenium, an exotic weed which is popularly known as 'congress grass' and highly allergic, causing respiratory problems among people, came to the country with wheat imports under PL 480 in 1970s. Being a fast growing weed, it spread to every nook and corner of the country thereby affecting the local species of flora and fauna.

India also has Prevention of Food Adulteration (PFA) Act and Plant Protection and Quarantine Act in place, which prevent any dilution of the quality control, particularly on the import of exotic plant species.

Only relaxation in the quality norms could be possible in the level of moisture varying around 10-12 per cent. The protein content on the wheat stocks should preferrably between 6-7 per cent, aFood Ministry official said.

Besides, another condition of fumigating of the importable stocks, with Methyl Bromide to control a variety of pests may also not be removed. But the United States and some other countries have banned fumigation with this odourless and colourless gas as it is seen as ozone-depleting.

In view of these parameters, the United States might not be able to participate in the tenders, as earlier it failed to outbid Australian Wheat Board (AWB) from which India has already contracted an import of 5 lakh tonnes of wheat at 178.75 US dollars a tonne C and F.

A shipment of duty-free Australian wheat of around 50,000 tonnes already reached Chennai port last week.

Other countries likely to participate in the new bid could again be Australia and CIS countries.

Agriculture and Food Minister Sharad Pawar has already announced last week to import 3 million tonnes of wheat immediately, in addition to earlier import of 5 lakh tonnes, and possibly through State Trading Corporation (STC) which is already canalising the wheat imports from the AWB.

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