ISLAMABAD: The Department of Plant Protection has so far issued permits to 380 private importers for procuring 1,576,000 tonnes of wheat, the Ministry of National Food Security and Research said on Wednesday.

It said that six letters of credit have been opened whereas two are under process. Moreover, nine vessels have been booked up to October this year for approximately 65,000 tonnes each.

The first vessel carrying 60,804 tonnes of wheat is expected to arrive in Karachi on Aug 26, while the second ship carrying 65,000 tonnes of wheat is scheduled to arrive on August 28, and the third container carrying 69,000 tonnes is expected to arrive on Sept 8.

Similarly, the fourth vessel with 55,000 tonnes of wheat will reach the country on September 12.

The Trading Corporation of Pakistan (TCP) has invited international tenders for the import of 1.5 million tonnes of wheat. Three recipients have endorsed the quantity of 1.5m tonnes of imported wheat: Punjab (0.70m), Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (0.30m) and Pakistan Agriculture Storage and Services Corporation (0.50m).

It is expected that first shipment of imported wheat through the TCP will reach during the second week of October, the ministry said.

Published in Dawn, August 20th, 2020