India to import 5 million tonnes of wheat: Pawar

New Delhi, June 7 (UNI) India will import five million tonnes of wheat bewteen August and December to build up a large buffer for any exigency and a fresh exercise for the purpose will be taken up, Agriculture and Food Minister Sharad Pawar said today.

Earlier, on the direction of the government, the State Trading Corporation(STC) had floated a tender for import of 10 lakh tonnes of wheat, but cancelled it last week as the price quoted by the international bidders was too high at 265-270 US dollars per tonne.

However, the MMTC has also floated a tender for import of 50,000 tonnes of wheat for delivery in July-August, 2007 at Indian ports.

Procurement of wheat till the day is estimated at 107 lakh tonnes with more than four lakh tonne stock mopped up from Uttar Pradesh against last year's paltry purchase of only 40,000 tonnes, Mr Pawar said adding that the FCI, the nodal procurement agency has sufficient stocks to meet the requirements of Public Distribution System (PDS).

The Food Ministry has already sent a team of three official to Washington to negotiate the import of wheat.

However, the official sources said India may relax the import norms for wheat as being sought by the United States. The US has surplus wheat to export as that of good crop in Australia.

There will be no increase in bonus and farmers will continue to get Rs 850 per quintal, said Mr Pawar adding that the period of procurement would be extended as per the requirement till June end.

As per the earlier practice, the wheat procurment ends by May 31 every year.

UNI