KARACHI, Dec 11: Small and medium size flour mills and chakkis are the worst affected by the current wheat crisis and are suffering huge losses because of disrupted supplies and unaffordable prices of wheat.

Looking at the growing problems faced by the small and medium size flour mills and chakkis the Union of Small and Medium Enterprises (Unisame) approached the Trading Corporation of Pakistan (TCP) to import wheat to cater to the needs of such units.

In a meeting with the chairman TCP Syed Masood Alam Rizvi who was assisted by Commercial Director Abdul Maalik a team of Unisame headed by its convener Zulfikar Thaver requested that the corporation should import wheat on war-footing to off-set the current shortage of the essential commodity in the city.

The Unisame convener suggested that there was no harm if the TCP imports some excess quantity because as long as the shortage was averted it will help stabilize prices in the open market.

He said that the TCP should keep itself ready to meet any eventuality because the situation demands that the government should immediately resort to wheat imports as the time was running out.

President, Karachi Wholesale Grocers Association (KWGA) Anis Majeed speaking on the occasion said efforts should be made to import wheat from India, which was offering wheat at much cheaper price.

He informed the participants that presently Australia, Canada and the US were offering wheat at $210 per ton (c&f), Karachi and India at $165 to $175 per ton. He said that the criticism by some circles that the Indian wheat carries ‘Karnal Bunt’ and is unfit for human consumption is not true. However, he said it should not be encouraged for sowing as this would produce infected wheat.

Anis Majeed further said that new crop will arrive by April, 2004 and right now wheat stocks are sufficient only to meet the requirement of this year only. He said monthly consumption of wheat in Sindh is at around 250,000 tons, therefore, situation demand that wheat should be imported immediately.

Abdul Maalik said that TCP is a body which execute decisions taken by the policy makers, therefore, a decision has to come from the Ministry of Agriculture.

The chairman, TCP, said that his corporation was at the disposal of the policy makers and was the arm of the Minfal, but assured that once the decision was made the TCP was fully capable to meet the challenge to import any quantity of wheat.