‘Iran-Pakistan barter deal yet to take off’

A barter trade deal between Iran and Pakistan still seems to be too far away, after Tehran expressed unwillingness to accept Pakistani wheat containing karnal bunt or Tilletia Indica.

Secretary for National Food Security and Research (NFS&R) Shafqat Hussain Nagmi and Managing Director of Pakistan Agricultural Storage and Services Corporation (Passco), Major-General Sohail Shafkat informed the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on National Food Security and Research on Tuesday.Iran, they said, had expressed reservations to a Pakistani delegation, who visited Tehran on April 26.

The delegation which visited Iran to finazlise the barter deal was headed by Secretary, NFS&R, Shafqat Hussain Nagmi and comprised Passco Managing Director, Major General Sohail Shafkat, along with other senior officials from the Ministries of Production, Commerce and Industries.They told the committee that Pakistan would export a million ton of wheat to Iran at $275 per ton Freight On Board (FOB) Karachi, but we are still waiting for Iranian response to fix the rate of urea to be imported from Iran.

He feared that Pakistan-Iran barter trade deal could be delayed, as Iran had still not determined the urea price, besides failed to maintain effective co-ordination with Pakistan in this regard.To a question regarding presence of Karnal Bunt in wheat, Nagmi said that the Ministry of Food Security had carried out laboratory tests of wheat which is fine.

“We also provided its samples to Iranian authorities during the visit.”The committee met with MNA Javed Iqbal Warriach in the chair here at the Parliament House and attended by Chaudhry Iftikhar Nazir, Ghulam Farid Kathia, Chaudhary Zahid Iqbal, Muhammad Irfan Dogar, Mian Khadim Hussain Watoo, Dr Nelson Azeem, Malik Nauman Ahmad Langrial, Dr Abdul Kadir Khanzada, Sajid Ahmad, Zafar Beg Bhittani, Secretary NFS&R, Shafqat Hussain Nagmi, DG PASSCO Major General Sohail Shafkat, Chairman NARC Naveed Saleemi, Chairman API, M.B Siddiqui and other senior officials.Naghmi informed the committee that export of 300 she-camels had been allowed to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on the personal request of Sheikh Muhammad.

However, he informed the export of live animals was not banned and only export of those animals could be allowed which were not used for reproduction.

But animal health certificate is essential for export.He also informed the committee that the target was to export 250,000 live animals, of which only 15,000 could be exported so far.

Zafar Beg Bhittani said that the export of live animals should be banned to reduce high prices of meat.

To a question Naghmi said that the assessment criteria of exportable surplus of live animal had been chalked out according to country’s animal population and growth rate.

However, annual growth of animal was approximately 3.7 per cent whereas the human population grew at 2.5 per cent.The official of Seed Certification department informed the committee that they have confiscated 116 metric tons illegal seed during the current year and 80 challans were issued with fine of Rs 1.4 million.

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