(a) whether the Australian Wheat Board which was selected for import of wheat to India has been accused of heavy pay off to the erstwhile Iraqi Government;
(b) if so, the reasons for awarding the contract to such a company;
(c) whether the said company had earlier procured and exported huge quantity of wheat from the country particularly Uttar Pradesh; and
(d) if so, the details thereof?
MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF
CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD & PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION (DR. AKHILESH PRASAD SINGH)
(a): Allegations have been made of misconduct by the Australian Wheat Board in the `Oil for Food` Programme, in Iraq.
(b): The contract has been awarded to M/s AWB, Geneva as it emerged successful in the global tender called by the State Trading Corporation. The wheat would be procured by M/s AWB, Geneva from AWB, Australia.
(c)&(d): M/s AWB, India, has purchased 41,268 MTs of wheat, in 2006, from Uttar Pradesh, as per permission granted by the State Government, for sale to Domestic Millers. They have not exported wheat from the country.