Wheat Import: SC Issues Notice to Centre


04 August, 2006

The supreme court today issued notices to the centre returnable
within four weeks on a PIL challenging its decision to import wheat
despite having surplus domestic production and also its move
to 'dilute' health standards by accepting Australian wheat containing
pesticides much beyond permissible limits rendering it unfit for
human consumption.

Counsel for the petitioner Vandana Shiva pleaded before the court
that Chennai port committee report has confirmed that the first
consignment containing five lakh metric tonnes of wheat contained
pesticides which if consumed can cause serious diseases and fungal
infections in the human body. The Australian wheat contained 500 per
cent more pesticides than what was required and still the consignment
has been accepted by the food corporation of India (FCI) endangering
public health.

According to the petitioner, the UPA government had taken a decision
to import 57 lakh tonnes of wheat at a time when Rabi crop was being
harvested in the country and the domestic production of the cereals
was expected to be 730.6 lakh tonnes against the total domestic
consumption of 716.1 lakh tonnes of wheat.

The petitioner has alleged that the Union Agriculture Ministry was
permitting private players to make huge profits ignoring the public
interest altogether.

Wheat is available in India at Rs 700 per quintal while inferior
quality wheat containing pesticides and chemicals was being imported
at an exorbitant rate of Rs 1000 a quintal. The petitioner also
challenged the government claim that this was being done to offset
the impact of poor procurement of wheat during the season coupled
with falling buffer stocks.

A bench comprising Mr Justice K G Balakrishnan and Mr Justice D K
Jain decided to examine the whole issue after having prima facie
evidence that there was something really fishy in the entire deal.

The wheat is to be imported from countries like Australia and Russia.

Additional Solicitor General Gopal Subramanium accepted the notice on
behalf of the Union Agriculture Ministry and assured the court "We
will examine the whole issue and get back to the honourable court"
The petition also referred to the import of PL-480 variety of Mexican
wheat in the 60's popularly known as red wheat which brought into
India the deadly parthenium hysterophorus weed which now occupies 15
per cent of the country's geographical area. Besides it introduced
two pests - Ergot and Dwarf Bunt in the country.

(UNI)
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