February 17, 2004
US To Secure Pakistani Wheat Market Share
The United States is likely to gain market share of Pakistan's wheat industry, assuming a transparent buying system is in place, says Secretary United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Ann Margaret Veneman.
Her comments about prospects of wheat export to Pakistan came following completion of wheat import process by Pakistan, in which US companies turned out to be unsuccessful parties against the Australians bidders.
It is pertinent to mention here that Australia outshined US as the former had been given the order of supplying 150,000 tons in mid-January. Pakistan announced in November last that it would buy about 500,000 tons in phases through international tenders to make up for a domestic shortfall and build strategic reserves.
Federal Minister for Food, Agriculture and Livestock Sardar Yar Muhammad Rind had announced that Pakistan selected the Australian firm over three US exporters.
Reportedly, again in the subsequent tender of wheat, "misfortune" continued to haunt US exporters as they even could not succeed in finding place in short listed companies for the import of another consignment of 150,000 tons.
About possibilities of US wheat exports to Pakistan, Ann Veneman said: "The United States was the largest exporter of wheat to Pakistan in the 1990s and is one of the two primary soft white wheat suppliers in the world".
From 1990-2000, she added, US exported an average 1.4 million tons annually, amounting to over half of Pakistan's total average imports.
She was of the view that after a period during which Pakistan's wheat production exceeded domestic needs, it was now returning to a net importer position. Given the variability of Australian production, she observed, US is certainly one of the logical suppliers for Pakistan, assuming a transparent buying system is in place. She recalled that this year US had again offered credit guarantees under the GSM-102 programme, which has historically been a helpful factor in US wheat exports to Pakistan.
