ISLAMABAD, Sept 20: Pakistan has earned $350 million through 1.6 million tons wheat export between July 2001 to August this year.

Of these, about 0.7 million tons of wheat was exported to Afghanistan, a senior official in the commerce ministry told Dawn on Thursday.

The total wheat production was estimated at 21 million tons for 2002, while the local wheat consumption was 20 million tons, said the official.

The Punjab food department has exported around 0.2 million tons of wheat through the Trading Corporation of Pakistan (TCP), said the official.

This massive export has resulted in rise of wheat prices in the local market as the government has allowed free export of wheat without any check.

The exporter was earning around $20 per ton as the international prices of wheat was $140 per ton, while those exported by Pakistani exporters was in the range of $106-108 per ton fob Karachi.

The official further said that the wheat exported to Afghanistan through land route at the rate of $120-125 per ton while through sea to other countries at the rate of $106 per ton.

The total surplus wheat laying with PASSCO, Sindh and Punjab food department was estimated at 6 million tons with various agencies of the government, said the official and added that the government was striving to export the remaining surplus wheat.

Explaining the cause of picking up in the Pakistani wheat exports, the official said that the prices of major exporting countries like Canada, Australia and United States has been raised, which resulted in greater demand for the low cost of Pakistani wheat.