Food directorate rejects wheat from France
After the controversial import of "sub-standard" wheat from Brazil, the food ministry has run into trouble for importing a batch of "lower quality" wheat from France.
The Directorate of Food is refusing to accept the wheat worth Tk 200 crore on the ground that it is of "very poor quality".
Four ships carrying over 2 lakh tonnes of wheat are waiting to be unloaded at the outer anchorage of Chittagong and Kutubdia.
Food Minister Qamrul Islam declined to make any comment.
Contacted, Ilahi Dad Khan, director (procurement) at the Directorate of Food, said they floated an international tender to import 1.54 lakh tonnes of wheat last March.
Later, the government reached an agreement with two bidders -- Phoenix International and the Netherlands' Glencore Grain -- to procure wheat from France and Romania.
Khan said 52,000 tonnes of wheat from France cost Tk 100 crore, and the remaining wheat was bought from Romania, each tonne costing US$250.
In April, the directorate floated another international tender to import 50,000 tonnes of wheat. It signed an agreement with Phoenix International to procure the food grains for Tk 100 crore.
Sources at Chittagong Port said Phoenix International, through its local agent Phoenix Commodities, brought 52,000 tonnes of wheat from Romania in a ship on June 26. The same company also brought 50,000 tonnes of wheat from France.
Besides, Glencore Grain through its local agent Impex Consultant brought 52,000 tonnes from Romania on July 9. It also brought 50,000 tonnes from France on June 2.
Litmond Shipping Ltd and Uniship International Ltd are two local agents of Phoenix International and Netherlands’ Glencore Grain.
The shipping agents alleged that they have been counting heavy losses as the wheat is not being unloaded due to disagreement between the food directorate and the two supplier companies.
Nurul Huda of Litmond Shipping said their ships have been waiting for weeks at the outer anchorage to be unloaded but the government has refused to accept the shipment as they found the quality of wheat carried by one of the ships as sub-standard.
Ilahi Dad Khan said they found the quality of the wheat brought from Romania "good enough", but the grains could not be unloaded due to various difficulties regarding the Letter of Credit (LC).
Meanwhile, the directorate found one of the shipments from France unfit for consumption, he said.
He said they have relayed the message that they will not accept the shipment as the quality of the grain is inferior.
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