By Arshad Sharif
ISLAMABAD (March 09 2004): Australia has stepped up its efforts to save the $30 million wheat consignment from being rejected by Pakistan on grounds of being infected with fungus , and its ministers have sought an "urgent appointment" with Prime Minister Zafarullah Jamali on the issue.

Australia has further proposed testing of the wheat in a third country "strongly" urging Pakistan to agree to this course. "Australia strongly believes that, given any difference of view between the experts from our two countries, the best approach would be to seek independent third-party DNA testing for example in US or UK government laboratories," said a joint media release by Australian ministers for trade and agriculture, Mark Vaille and Warren Truss, on Sunday.

Earlier, on March 3, Australia had "welcomed the Pakistani government decision to resample and retest Australian wheat" in the National Agricultural Research Centre, Islamabad.

In the latest move, Australia has termed the laboratory facilities in Pakistan inadequate to carry out the tests. The joint media release by the Australian ministers for trade and agriculture said, "without sophisticated laboratory processes to identify the DNA of the fungus, it is possible to confuse karnal bunt spores with the harmless spores of different fungi."

The Australian demand for testing in the third country laboratories came when reexamination confirmed presence of the karnal bunt fungus in the wheat. The reexamination was done in the presence of the Australian officials by a high level committee constituted on the directives of the cabinet.

"I am not sure if the agreement allows for third party laboratory tests," said a senior Pakistani official when asked for views on the new Australian proposal.

The officials dismissed the Australian view that Pakistan did not have adequate sophisticated facilities to distinguish between different types of fungus.

"Our scientists are well aware of the difference between karnal bunt fungus and the harmless spores which the Australians say might be present," the official said.

Disputing the latest findings of the tests, the joint media release by the Australian ministers for trade and agriculture said: "Australia's scientists have participated in the testing and are confident the results do not indicate the presence of karnal bunt. Pakistani scientists are reported in the media as having reached a different conclusion. If this is confirmed, then clearly the science is in dispute."

"As soon as advice was received on February 23 that Pakistan authorities had raised concerns about the shipment, Australia sent scientists from the Australian government, the NSW government and AWB Ltd to assist in investigations," the statement said quoting the Australian trade minister Mark Vaille.

The Australian ministerial statements reasserted earlier claims that "Australia has never had karnal bunt." Samples from the consignment tested at two laboratories in Australia, at a third commercial independent laboratory and by an internationally recognized expert laboratory have found no evidence of Karnal Bunt, the media release said.

"(We) have sought urgent advice from Pakistan's Prime Minister, Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali, in an attempt to clarify the reports," Mark Vaile said in a joint statement with Warren Truss.

The DAWN