1.2 million tons of wheat exported so far

Pakistan has exported 1.2 million tons of wheat, out of 3 million tons allowed by the government, sources told this correspondent. Wheat stocks soared this year after a bumper crop of 23.86 million tons in 2009/10, and a carryover of 4.2 million tons from the previous crop when Pakistan harvested 24 million tons. As a consequence ,Pakistan lifted the ban on exports imposed in 2007.
Pakistan this year is expected to harvest a bumper wheat crop of 24.5 million tons against the projected target of 25 million tons, while it consumes about 21.7 million tons of wheat annually. Punja, which is biggest wheat producing region in the country, intends to export over 2 million tons wheat from its surplus stocks. It has already sold 1.4 million tons to local traders for export, provincial government food department officials told Business Recorder.
According to them, wheat harvesting in Punjab has just started, where 18.6 million tons is expected, against the set target of 19.2 million tons. Punjab consumes nearly 11 million tons of wheat. It also supplies the commodity to other provinces, including Azad Jummu and Kashmir (AJ&K) and Gilgit-Baltistan. Afghanistan is also totally dependent on Pakistani wheat for feeding a population of nearly 30 million people. Commodity debt is a serious issue for the government, which is expected to peak at Rs 550 billion after the completion of this year's public sector wheat procurement drive. If Pakistan's exporters are successful in exporting 3 million tons of wheat at current international prices ie $340 per ton it would enable the government to return about $1.02 billion to different banks.
A wheat exporter, Haji Altaf, said that traders had bought some 600,000 tons wheat from Sindh, the second-largest wheat producer. "Traders have signed export deals with foreign buyers for up to 700,000 tons; out of this some 50,000 tons has already been shipped out," he said.
About 100,000 tons of wheat would be shipped this week to Bangladesh and to some Middle Eastern countries including Jordan. He said that after Japan's recent earthquake huge quantity of the commodity would be exported to Japan. Johar Ali Qandhari, a wheat trader, said that Pakistan had recently sold wheat in the international market at prices ranging between $333 and $338 a ton fob (freight on board).
Wheat harvesting in Sindh has almost been completed, where farmers have produced nearly 3.2 million tons of wheat against projected target of 3.9 million tons. Sindh's domestic wheat requirement is around 4 millions tons, and like other parts of the country Sindh too relies on Punjab for meeting its demand.
According to the Complaint Cell established at Federal Food Ministry (Minfa), farmers in Sindh registered complaints against sitting Members of National Assembly (MNAs) as well as Members of Provincial Assembly (MPAs), accusing them of creating hurdles for poor farmers.
Farmers in Sindh have complained about non-availability of wheat bags from food department without the express approval of the area's MNA or MPA. They also reportedly receive a commission of Rs 200 per bag before releasing the wheat bags, according to the complaints received by the cell.