November 11, 2004

Pakistan to Import 500,000 Tons Wheat

Pakistan has decided to import another 500,000 metric tons of wheat to maintain "strategic reserves".

The decision was made at a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in Islamabad which reviewed the wheat supply situation.

The date of the tender was not revealed.

In the past few months the government, through the state-run Trading Corp. of Pakistan, imported 926,000 tons of wheat in two tenders from Australian, US and Russian companies.

Pakistan started importing in a bid to stabilize high flour prices. This comes after the country's wheat production in the current season was projected to fall to 19.7 million tons, below the targeted 20 million tons.