ISLAMABAD, Sept 24: Minister for Food, Agriculture and Livestock Sikandar Hayat Khan Bosan on Saturday said the estimated consumption of wheat for 2005-06 had been worked out at 20.847 million tons.

In response to a query in the Senate, he said that this year production of wheat was 21.562 million tons, which, he said, was sufficient to meet the country’s requirement.

Mr Bosan said the public sector agencies had a sufficient stock of 4.067 million tons of wheat for meeting domestic consumption.

Of the total buffer wheat stock available with public sector agencies up to September 19, 2005, the minister said that Punjab had stock of 2.490 million tons, Sindh 540,294 tons, NWFP 78,345 tons, Balochistan 41,553 tons, PASSCO 915,430 tons.

The minister informed the upper house that private sector had actively participated in the procurement operations and had purchased 2.1 million tons wheat during the current season through bank financing. This did not include self-financing by the private sector, he added.

He said to build strategic reserves, the ECC had decided on July 1, 2005 that government would import wheat at appropriate time. Similarly, in the same meeting, ECC allowed private sector to import wheat duty free.

For quality control, specifications and quarantine requirements of imported wheat and wheat flour had been determined by Minfal and the private importers would be bound to abide by the terms and conditions and specifications.

He said that in this regard SRO709 of 2005 had already been issued in respect of import of wheat, while an SRO in respect of wheat flour was in the process of being vetted at the Law Division.

The minister informed the House that the private importers had contracted 200,000 tons of wheat for import. A ship, carrying 50,000 tons imported wheat, had reached at Port Qasim, Karachi. Sufficient quantity was expected to reach in the country between September-November 2005, added the minister.

In reply to another question, the minister said that 0.602 million tons of wheat was exported from open market in 2004-05, while 1.368 million tons of wheat imported during the same year. The area under cultivation in 2004-05 was 3.371 million acre.