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| October 17, 2005 | Monday | Ramzan 12, 1426 |
‘Wheat import in violation of policy’
MULTAN, Oct 16: Authorities may ‘soften’ rules governing wheat import to oblige an influential firm as a ship carrying its consignment of the commodity is scheduled to anchor Port Qasim in violation of the rules and regulations laid down for the purpose.
Sources in the Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Livestock said that a ship called ‘Captain Pegglezos’ carrying a consignment of about 49,235 tons of wheat imported from Russia by a Karachi-based firm would reach the country on Monday (today).
The Minfal has issued a statutory notification (SRO-709) on July 13 this year having the title ‘Import of wheat by the private sector’. The government had laid down certain technical, procedural and pre-shipment conditions through the SRO for the import of wheat.
The intended importers also had to accept deputation of an official team designated by the Minfal to the port of loading for the purposes of inspection and overseeing the requirements laid down through the SRO-709. The importers were also directed to get pre-shipment inspection of the commodity through any of the five international agencies approved by the government of Pakistan.
Under the technical conditions, the importers were liable to ensure access of the pre-shipment inspectors and the Minfal representatives to the stocks for inspection, sampling and testing before being set off for Pakistan from the exporting country.
Certificate of origin and quality shall be issued by the concerned government department of the exporting country after being countersigned by the pre-shipment inspectors and the Minfal representatives deputed at the port from where the consignment is to be offloaded. Moreover, the all-important quarantine requirements would be met at the port of discharge.
In a letter (dated: October 5, 2005), the Minfal’s food wing warned the Karachi-based firm that it should strictly comply with the provisions of SRO-709 and the statutory notifications issued thereafter in this regard otherwise it (the company) would be responsible for all consequences regarding any deviation to the law.
The Minfal sources said that the authorities in the ministry were likely to give clearance to the consignment taking extraordinary measures under the pretext of ‘outer encourage’.
The outer encourage means that all the legal formalities would be fulfilled in the sea outside the Pakistani border.
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