June 13, 2006

India allows wheat imports with previously banned weeds

India's State Trading Corp (STC) Monday (Jun 12) issued a tender to import 2.2 million tonnes of wheat with major quality concessions including allowing into the country cargoes with weeds whose entry was previously banned.

The tender plans to award contracts to qualified bidders by Jun 28 and seeks deliveries between September and January through four Indian ports of Vishakhapatnam, Kandla, Mumbai and Mundra.

"We have relaxed the norms for weeds and other rules on quality but only within safe limits because the imported wheat is not meant for cultivation but human consumption," the official said.

He said these weeds can multiply in Indian farms only if the imported parcels are used for sowing, and this is highly unlikely.

Under the new rules, wheat import is allowed with up to 100 quarantine weed seeds per 200 kilogrammes of samples drawn from a single consignment, according to a set procedure.