KARACHI, July 15: The government has allowed traders to import wheat with a provision that it will first be inspected by officials, and if they gave clean chit then it will be off-loaded from the carrier ship at Karachi Port.

“It amounts to giving from one hand and taking back from the other,” remarked an angry trader who blamed the bureaucrats for indulging in an unending game of upmanship against the private sector.

“Who will take risk of putting at stake more than Rs500 million in wheat import and then leaving every thing on the mercy of a corrupt bureaucrat in the plant protection department of ministry of food and agriculture,” a local miller said.

The Karachi Flour Mills Association in a press release on Friday quotes Clause 6 of Annex 2 and Clause 3 of Sub para 2 of Annex 4 that stipulate that ships carrying wheat will only be discharged after inspection and approved by the government officials of department of plant protection and of Minfal.

“It is obvious that no one will take risk to book cargo worth over Rs500 million to ship it to Karachi and place it at the mercy of the officials. Each day clearance in the cargo cost the importer demurrage charge of Rs10,000,” the association pointed out.

Calling the official notification on Wednesday for import of wheat a mere formality, the association alleged that the inclusion of such a provision was to keep port city Karachi perpetually dependant on Punjab wheat traders who have stocked and hoarded in a big quantity.

Traders recall how a consignment of one lakh tons of wheat from Australia was stuck up at port Qasim last year which is said to have cost the importer a loss of more than Rs200 million and a private bank also suffered the loss of almost same amount.

The Trading Corporation of Pakistan imported one million tons of wheat last season. A pre-shipment inspection was arranged through private international contractors like SGS and COTECNA. The importers suggest that SGS and COTECNA certificates should be considered as valid documents for import of wheat into Pakistan.