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Australian wheat issue takes new turn
KARACHI, April 7: The fiasco of the Australian
wheat import by Pakistan Agricultural Storage and
Services Corporation Limited (PASSCO) has taken a
new turn as the supplier Tradesmen International
has served a legal notice to the Pakistan
government demanding compensation worth millions
of dollars.
The Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Livestock
had invited bids for the import of wheat that was
won by Tradesmen International (Pvt) Limited with
the lowest offer of $224.75 per tonne C&F Karachi.
However, when four vessels carrying 153,000 tons
of Australian wheat reached Karachi, the PASSCO
rejected the consignment on the plea that it
contained an impurity called karnal bunt fungus
and declared it unfit for human consumption.
The PASSCO findings jolted both the supplier and
the Australian government.
As such, the Australian government vehemently
contradicted Pakistan government’s claims and
strongly protested over it and the Australian
Premier himself wrote a letter to General Pervez
Musharraf, seeking his intervention to rectify the
dilemma.
Hence, the federal cabinet appointed Dr
Atta-ur-Rehman, In Charge Ministry of Science and
Technology to conduct the joint test of wheat
imported from Australia.
Instead of sending the samples to a laboratory
having an international repute, Dr Atta-ur-Rehman
sent the wheat samples to the National
Agricultural Research Center (NARC) which further
complicated the matter as the NARC had already
given its earlier verdict against the very
consignment.
Moreover, the PASSCO had forfeited the security
bond of Tradesmen worth of $1.011 million on the
charges of not supplying the grain as per
specimen.
This act irked the supplying firm and therefore,
they have decided to move the court of law.
"You have no authority to terminate the contract
and forfeit the deposit. In fact, you are in gross
breach of the contract and are also guilty of
serious tortuous actions which have ultimately
exposed you and made you liable to pay Tradesmen,
very heavy damages", Hafiz Pirzada and associates,
lawyers of the supplying firm said in its legal
notice to the government.
The News International, Pakistan |
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Pakissan.com; Advisory Point
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