KARACHI, Jan 8: Pakistan has shortlisted one Australian and three US exporters to negotiate price and quality for the import of 150,000 tons of milling wheat, a government official said on Thursday.

"Four bidders have been selected and Passco (Pakistan Agriculture Storage and Services Corporation) has been asked to further negotiate with them," the official, who asked not be named, told Reuters from Islamabad.

"It will take at least a week or so to place import orders." The official said selected bidders have offered price ranging from $214 to $251 per ton, but the government had not considered offers from a Dubai-based company and a Singaporean firm for Indian wheat at $185 per ton.

"Karnal bunt fungus in Indian wheat is still an issue and despite low offers we have not considered Indian wheat," he said. Traders in Karachi say imports from India would be most economical because of lower freight costs given the land border between the two countries.

The official said the winning bidders would complete the shipment to the Port Qasim on a C&F basis by February 15. Passco, which issued a purchase tender on December 24, received a total of 14 bids in response to its tender.

The country announced in November it would buy about 500,000 tons through international tenders, a move towards Pakistan's first wheat imports in about four years. The imports, to make up a domestic shortfall and build strategic reserves, would be completed in four to five phases over the next two months.

The imports follow a dry winter spell that damaged the domestic crop. Pakistan's wheat output was about 19.25 million tons in the 2002-03 (Nov-April) crop year, short of a target of 19.70 million tons.-Reuters