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Wheat cargo rejection: Team going to Iraq

Our Bureau

NEW DELHI, May 6

THE Union Government is planning to send a high-level team to Iraq, to assess the conditions leading to the rejection of a consignment of wheat exported to Iraq by Vishal Overseas Enterprises.

The team would comprise representatives from the Food Ministry, Food Corporation of India (FCI) and the State Trading Corporation (STC).

Meanwhile, Mr R.D. Kapur, Secretary, Department of Food and Public Distribution, has requested the Indian Ambassador in Iraq to make an assessment on the issue and give a report in two days.

According to an official communique issued here on Sunday, Mr Shanta Kumar, Union Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, has directed the Chairman of FCI to find out if there was a lapse in quality norms on the part of the private tr ader, which subsequently lead to the rejection of the consignment.

Action would be taken against the exporter, if preliminary enquiry suggested a lapse on his part, the Minister said, reiterating the Government's commitment to export surplus wheat.

Iraq was to import 3.5 lakh tonnes of wheat through the Grain Board of Iraq under the food for oil programme, under the auspices of the United Nations.

These exports were to be undertaken by STC along with seven other exporters. The FCI was to release the wheat for export to STC, which acted as the facilitator.

Vishal Overseas Enterprise was allowed to export 35,000 tonnes of wheat to Iraq. The Grain Board of Iraq had appointed Geochem, a Mumbai-based private company for pre-shipment inspection, which had certified that the wheat was of the desired quality. How ever, when the consignment reached Iraq, inspection authorities rejected the stock.