The Bush administration has responded by suggesting substantial easing of norms for a fungal disease, weevils, a weed, and using phosphine gas for fumigation. US diplomatic pressure on New Delhi has been mounting ever since the first wheat tender was allotted to arch rival Australia in March.
India is expected to require 5m tonnes foreign wheat by December this year. How far India has succumbed to this pressure will be known once the new tender is floated. Interestingly, the US plant protection and quarantine department is even now dissatisfied with India�s rules to protect local varieties from imported weeds and diseases.
An inter-ministerial meeting, comprising officials from departments of health, agriculture and food, was held in Krishi Bhawan on Wednesday, after the US response was received, to finalise the phytosanitary norms.
In a letter dated May 1, and addressed to the plant protection division in the Department of Agriculture, Michael A Guidicipietro, acting assistant deputy administrator of phytosanitary issues management in the USDA�s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, has stated that US continues to disagree with India�s assessment of risk.
�The US does not believe that TCK, ergot or the granary weevil warrant quarantine restrictions. There is a negligible risk of introducing TCK into India. Ergot is likely to be present in India. The granary weevil is a cosmopolitan pest that can be easily addressed through fumigation with phosphine gas, if detected during official inspections.
In addition, we have serious concerns with India�s requirement that shipments be fumigated with methyl bromide as a routine phytosanitary measure,� he stated. Instead, the US administration has suggested that India reinstate its 0.005% tolerance for TCK, reinstate its 0.05% tolerance for ergot, and accept fumigation with phosphine for fumigation for the granary weevil if found during inspection.
�We believe, both countries would benefit through improved access for India consumers to high quality US wheat,� the US official added. According to the Bush administration, India is being over cautious in asking for zero tolerance of TCK spores and ergot, besides demanding fumigation by methyl bromide.
�Your PRA (pest risk analysis) does not provide any technical justification for amending India�s requirements for TCK. On January 1, �04, India implemented new requirements for wheat that required freedom from TCK. Previously, India had allowed a tolerance for TCK of 0.005%.
The World Trade Organisation�s agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures obliges member countries to ensure that phytosanitary measures are technically justified and do not constitute an arbitrary or unjustified barrier to trade,� it pointed out.
Moreover, according to the USDA, there is evidence that ergot is present in India. �The PRA does not provide any technical justification for amending India�s phytosanitary standards to require freedom from ergot,� it stated.
Protesting against the use of methyl bromide, the USDA has pointed out that for grain, the US has been using phosphine gas (usually applied in tablet or pellet form) to fumigate export shipments �very successfully� for many years.
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