‘Afghanistan praises Indian quality wheat sent as aid; 3rd batch of shipment scheduled for Mar 8’

New Delhi, Mar 5 (PTI): Stating that Afghanistan has praised the quality of Indian wheat supplied to the trouble-torn country as part of its humanitarian aid, India on Saturday said it has already shipped 4,000 tonnes of the grain via the Pakistan border, and the third batch of shipment of 2,000 tonnes is scheduled for March 8.

The remarks come amid media reports of Taliban officials in Afghanistan accusing Pakistan of donating “inedible” wheat to the country.

India has committed to supplying 50,000 tonne of quality wheat grain worth Rs 125 crore to Afghanistan, which will be delivered through Pakistan’s land route. The grain will be delivered to the UN agency World Food Programme for supply to Afghanistan people, it said.

“Humanity above all. Thanks to our hardworking farmers, India has been able to supply the people in Afghanistan with good quality wheat as humanitarian assistance. India knows to treat its friends well,” Food Minister Piyush Goyal tweeted.

Elaborating more on the humanitarian aid, Food Secretary Sudhanshu Pandey later addressing a virtual press conference said: “The response we got from the Afghanistan side is very overwhelming in terms of appreciation both of the quality and the nature of assistance at a very critical time.” Stating that Afghanistan has received “very well” the assistance provided by India, the secretary said the first batch of wheat was dispatched on February 22 and by the end of March, about 10,000 tonne of wheat will be delivered. The remaining 40,000 tonne will be delivered in batches of 2,000 each.

The entire quantity of 50,000 tonnes of wheat will be delivered in a month or so, he added.

Pandey further said India has supplied quality wheat to Afghanistan through its state-owned Food Corporation of India (FCI). The grain has been checked in private labs as per the specifications required under the global norms.

The next batch of shipment of 2,000 tonnes of wheat each is scheduled for March 8, 14, and 20 of this year to Afghanistan via the Pakistan border, he said.

Further, India is providing wheat to Afghanistan at an economic cost of Rs 24,996 per tonne. Currently, domestic wheat prices are ruling around the same level and even the global rates have also gone up hovering in the range of Rs 24,000 to 25,000 per tonne, he added.

Asked if more wheat aid will be provided to Afghanistan, the secretary said it depends on the government decision.

Wheat production in India, the world’s second-largest producer, is estimated to touch a new record 111.32 million tonnes in the 2021-22 crop year (July-June) as against 109.59 million tonne in the previous year, as per the agriculture ministry’s second advance estimate.

Wheat, the main rabi (winter) crop, will start hitting the market from March 15 onwards. The country also has a surplus stock of wheat in the government godowns.

PTI LUX HRS hrs