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Australian wheat could have devastating effect
on local crop
ISLAMABAD (April 28
2004): An official spokesman on Tuesday said that
the Australian wheat was not accepted as it was
contaminated and could have devastating effect on
the country's wheat crop.
The import of such wheat could have devastating
consequences on wheat crops and lead to spread of
fungal disease in the country, the spokesman said
in a statement.
The Quarantine Regulations, therefore, would not
have allowed the import of such contaminated wheat
for fighto-senatory consideration.
The other countries such as the UAE, Indonesia and
Sri Lanka do not grow wheat and, therefore, such
risks of spread of disease do not exist in these
countries where the rejected consignment was
eventually been sold.
He said that a private company Tradesman imported
the samples of Australian wheat after they had won
a tender of Passco, an organisation working under
the Agriculture Ministry.
The contract specification clearly laid down the
minimum acceptability criteria in terms of
contamination by insects/fungus, etc, as well as
the minimum gluten content which was required to
be above 26 percent in order to make "Chapatis".
The consignment on arrival was tested at the
serial quality testing laboratories in Islamabad
and found to contain fungal contamination as well
as gluten contents which was below the minimum
required criterion. The consignment was,
therefore, rejected.
When the results were challenged by the Australian
government, the Cabinet decided to have the
results independently rechecked and Science and
Technology Minister Dr Ata-ur-Rehman was asked to
form an independent "Scientific Committee" of
leading agricultural scientists to test the
samples.
A committee was, therefore, formed which was
headed by Dr Kausar Malik, Member Bio-Science of
Atomic Energy Commission.
Other members included Dr Faqeer Anjum
(Agricultural University Faisalabad), Dr Saleem
Akhter (Director Plant Protection Institute,
Faisalabad), Shama Daad Khan (Tandojaam),
Professor Iqbal Chaudhry (HEJ Research Institute
of Chemistry, Karachi University) and Dr Farhat
Fatima (Nuclear Institute of Agriculture of
Biology, Faisalabad).
The samples were collected in the presence of
Australian and Pakistani scientists from four
different ships and were sealed and signed in
their presence.
The analysis was then carried by this independent
group of scientists who found that the gluten
content was below the minimum required criterion
(between 20-24 percent only).
The presence of fungal disease causing organism
was also shown to the Australian scientists.
The Australian scientists said the fungal spores,
but contended that it might be an Australian
strain of the fungus and not an Indian strain.
The consignment was then, accordingly, again
rejected.
This happens to be the third major incident
between Pakistan and Australia, where substandard
materials have either been supplied or attempted
to be supplied.
The import of a certain Daal (lentil), which was
found to be contaminated with a toxic variety of
lentil which is not suitable for human consumption
and is being used only in animal feed, but it was
being sold in Pakistan as "Moong Daal" since it
resembled Moong Daal in its physical appearance.
The second incident was attempts to sell diseased
sheep to Pakistan, but the consignment was
rejected and then subsequently sold in some
African country.
Courtesy Business Recorder
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Pakissan.com; Advisory Point
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