India mulls Iran option for wheat to Afghanistan

Sandeep Dikshit

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Tribune News Service

New Delhi, January 9

India has exerted subtle pressure on Pakistan for an early decision on land transit for its humanitarian consignment of wheat to Afghanistan.

Though New Delhi has sent three plane loads of life-saving medicines and vaccines to Kabul, its consignment of 50,000 tonnes of wheat to Afghanistan has been blocked at the Pakistan border for over two months.

South Block has now let it be known that India discussed an alternative route for wheat during External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar’s conversation with his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir-Abdollahian during an exchange of New Year greetings on Saturday.

There is no official confirmation that the issue of transporting the wheat via Iran’s Chabahar port was discussed. Jaishankar only posted about a “wide-ranging conversation with my Iranian colleague” during which they “discussed the difficulties of Covid, challenges in Afghanistan, prospects of Chabahar and complexities of the Iranian nuclear issue.”

In case the issue was taken up, it marks an expensive change of strategy. The government would be faced with the prospect of diverting the wheat to the ports and would have to arrange for containers at a time when their availability is tight and freight rates are high.

Even if the costs are met, the conditions earlier cited by MEA officials for not transporting wheat via Iran still remain valid. The foremost is the reluctance among shippers and reinsurance agents to touch a consignment destined for Iran as they fear getting entangled in the web of sanctions announced by the US. Even if that reluctance was surmounted, officials had pointed out the lack of infrastructure in Nimroz province of Afghanistan to cater to the huge consignment of wheat. In contrast, entry points from Pakistan into Afghanistan have well-oiled mechanisms in this regard.

A week back, the MEA had said: “In (the) coming weeks, we will be undertaking the supply of wheat and the remaining medical assistance. In this regard, we are in touch with UN agencies and others to finalise the modalities for transportation.”