Which protein grade does a Pakistani mill need?

Most chapati and roti flour runs on 11.5% protein wheat, and the Black Sea and Danube 11.5% grades are the reference; 12.5% is bought by mills supplying industrial bakeries and blenders who lift a weak local grist. Australian APW and Canadian CWRS are premium grades for the same purpose. Ask for wet gluten and falling number alongside the protein: a wet Black Sea harvest shows up in the falling number first, and it cannot be fixed at the mill.

What parcel size and which port?

A Panamax of 55,000 to 65,000 t is the economic unit from the Black Sea, the Danube and Australia and discharges at the FAP terminal at Port Qasim on 14.5 m at 1,600 t/h per unloader; Karachi Port and Gwadar take Supramax lots of 25,000 to 50,000 t. A mill taking 5,000 to 10,000 t buys a share of a Panamax discharged to several receivers, and is priced as a part-cargo buyer. Tell us the port and the monthly draw and we size the ship.

What does the October 2026 tender price tell a private buyer?

That the public reference for the lane is USD 348.83 per tonne CFR Karachi or Gwadar for October shipment, with the second tender's low offer at USD 339.36 a fortnight later; both are optional-origin cargoes shipped by the large grain houses. A private CFR offer is built the same way: FOB origin plus Panamax freight plus insurance, and it moves with the Black Sea FOB and the freight market week by week. We do not work the tenders; we quote per lot for a named importer or mill against those references.

What documents does Pakistan require on imported wheat?

An import permit and phytosanitary certificate under the Department of Plant Protection's rules, fumigation at load or on arrival, a certificate of origin, and independent quality and weight certificates at the load port on GAFTA sampling rules. Payment is by irrevocable letter of credit from the buyer's bank before vessel nomination. Cargoes that cannot be traced to a named shipper and a load port inspection are not cargoes we work.

Can CBIL also fix the ship?

Yes. Our chartering desk, LaycanDesk, prices Panamax and Supramax tonnage from the Black Sea, the Danube, Australia and the Americas to Karachi, Port Qasim and Gwadar, so a CFR and a FOB figure can be shown side by side.

Indian Ocean · Pakistan

Milling Wheat Suppliers CFR Karachi, Port Qasim and Gwadar, Pakistan

Black Sea, Danube, Australian, Canadian and Argentine milling wheat for Pakistan's deficit years

Pakistan declared 2,169,300 t of HS 1001 wheat imports in 2024 at an average USD 293 per tonne, of which Ukraine supplied 633,200 t at USD 292, Romania 206,700 t at USD 298 and Hungary 34,200 t at USD 301, and then 41 t in 2025 after the 2025 harvest and a ban on private imports closed the door. The 2026 season reopened it: the Economic Coordination Committee approved a 1 million tonne import in July 2026, the Trading Corporation of Pakistan tendered for 750,000 t on 8 September, bought 365,000 t at a uniform USD 348.83 per tonne CFR Karachi or Gwadar for shipment 11-31 October and arrival by 20 November, and opened a second 185,000 t tender on 28 September with a low offer of USD 339.36 CFR Karachi. The private trade has asked for its own 2 million tonne window, of which the flour mills' share is put at about 1.5 million tonnes, and the USDA forecasts 1.0 million tonnes of imports for 2026/27 against a 29 million tonne crop. Ships discharge at the Fauji Akbar Portia terminal at Port Qasim, a dedicated grain and fertiliser berth with 14.5 m depth, two 1,600 t/h unloaders and over 4 million tonnes a year of capacity, at Karachi Port's bulk berths, and at Gwadar for the Balochistan mills. A Black Sea or Danube Panamax of 55,000 to 65,000 t is the tender unit; private importers and mills more often take Supramax lots of 25,000 to 50,000 t, or a share of a Panamax discharged to several receivers.

CBIL brokers milling wheat at 11.5% and 12.5% protein (dry basis), test weight 76-78 kg/hl, Hagberg falling number 250 seconds minimum, moisture 13.5% maximum, wet gluten 24-28%, loading Odesa, Chornomorsk and the Danube ports in Ukraine, Constanța in Romania, Varna and Burgas in Bulgaria, the Australian east and west coast terminals (APW and ASW), Vancouver and Thunder Bay (CWRS) and Bahía Blanca and Rosario in Argentina, CFR Karachi, Port Qasim or Gwadar on GAFTA contract terms with independent quality and weight certification at load. Pakistan's plant-quarantine rules require an import permit, a phytosanitary certificate and fumigation, and the buyer's bank opens an irrevocable letter of credit before the vessel is nominated. A private importer or mill that states its port, its parcel size, the protein grade, the shipment window and the LC-opening bank gets a firm CFR offer from a named shipper; a requirement without them gets a question first. Government tenders are not CBIL's channel; the tender results are cited here only as the public price reference for the lane.

Need the ship as well? Our chartering desk prices Panamax and Supramax grain freight on LaycanDesk.

The market in figures

Declared imports: 2024: 2,169,300 t, USD 636.2 million, USD 293/t · 2025: 41 t
Named origins, 2024: Ukraine 633,200 t at USD 292 · Romania 206,700 t at USD 298 · Hungary 34,200 t at USD 301
2026 season: ECC approved 1 million t (Jul 2026) · TCP bought 365,000 t at USD 348.83 CFR Karachi/Gwadar, shipment 11-31 Oct · second tender 185,000 t, low offer USD 339.36 (28 Sep 2026)
Crop and forecast: 2026/27 production 29 million t · imports forecast 1.0 million t (USDA, Aug 2026)
Discharge: FAP terminal, Port Qasim (14.5 m, 2 x 1,600 t/h, 4 Mt/yr) · Karachi Port bulk berths · Gwadar
Grades and parcels: 11.5% / 12.5% protein, TW 76-78 kg/hl, FN 250+ · Panamax 55,000-65,000 t · Supramax 25,000-50,000 t

Official trade data; sources listed below. Landed values are the importing country's declared CIF, not CBIL prices.

Questions buyers ask

Which protein grade does a Pakistani mill need?: Most chapati and roti flour runs on 11.5% protein wheat, and the Black Sea and Danube 11.5% grades are the reference; 12.5% is bought by mills supplying industrial bakeries and blenders who lift a weak local grist. Australian APW and Canadian CWRS are premium grades for the same purpose. Ask for wet gluten and falling number alongside the protein: a wet Black Sea harvest shows up in the falling number first, and it cannot be fixed at the mill.
What parcel size and which port?: A Panamax of 55,000 to 65,000 t is the economic unit from the Black Sea, the Danube and Australia and discharges at the FAP terminal at Port Qasim on 14.5 m at 1,600 t/h per unloader; Karachi Port and Gwadar take Supramax lots of 25,000 to 50,000 t. A mill taking 5,000 to 10,000 t buys a share of a Panamax discharged to several receivers, and is priced as a part-cargo buyer. Tell us the port and the monthly draw and we size the ship.
What does the October 2026 tender price tell a private buyer?: That the public reference for the lane is USD 348.83 per tonne CFR Karachi or Gwadar for October shipment, with the second tender's low offer at USD 339.36 a fortnight later; both are optional-origin cargoes shipped by the large grain houses. A private CFR offer is built the same way: FOB origin plus Panamax freight plus insurance, and it moves with the Black Sea FOB and the freight market week by week. We do not work the tenders; we quote per lot for a named importer or mill against those references.
What documents does Pakistan require on imported wheat?: An import permit and phytosanitary certificate under the Department of Plant Protection's rules, fumigation at load or on arrival, a certificate of origin, and independent quality and weight certificates at the load port on GAFTA sampling rules. Payment is by irrevocable letter of credit from the buyer's bank before vessel nomination. Cargoes that cannot be traced to a named shipper and a load port inspection are not cargoes we work.
Can CBIL also fix the ship?: Yes. Our chartering desk, LaycanDesk, prices Panamax and Supramax tonnage from the Black Sea, the Danube, Australia and the Americas to Karachi, Port Qasim and Gwadar, so a CFR and a FOB figure can be shown side by side.

Sources

UN Comtrade, reporter 586 (Pakistan), HS 1001, imports, 2024: world 2,169,300 t, USD 636.2 million, USD 293/t; Ukraine 633,200 t at USD 292; Romania 206,700 t at USD 298; Hungary 34,200 t at USD 301 (desk pull, 28 Sep 2026); 2025: 41 t (public preview API, read 30 Sep 2026). One 2024 origin is not carried on this page.
Pakistan Bureau of Statistics trade-in-goods table FY2025: wheat imports 12 t, private import halted.
ProPakistani, 24 Jul 2026, 'Govt decides to import 1 million tonnes of wheat', and Profit, 18 Aug 2026: ECC approval of 1 million t through TCP tender.
The Express Tribune, 'Govt approves 750,000 tonnes wheat import as TCP invites bids' (Sep 2026): tender issued 8 Sep 2026, opened 16 Sep, 13 participants. Business Recorder, 'TCP finalises deals for wheat import': 365,000 t at USD 348.83/t CFR Karachi/Gwadar, shipment 11-31 Oct 2026, arrival by 20 Nov 2026; nine responsive bids from USD 348.83 to 369.95.
Business Recorder and Arab News, 28-29 Sep 2026, 'Pakistan gets offers in 185,000 metric ton wheat tender': 13 bids, 12 compliant; lowest USD 339.36 CFR Karachi, USD 340.36 CFR Gwadar; +/-10% MOLSO, latest crop year. Market reference only; CBIL does not work government tenders.
Profit, 24 Sep 2025, 'Wheat importers warn of 3 million-tonne supply gap': Cereal Association of Pakistan asked for private imports of 2 million t; Progressive Flour Millers Group put the mills' requirement at about 1.5 million t.
USDA FAS, Pakistan Grain and Feed Update, July 2026, and Wheat Outlook, August 2026: 2026/27 production 29 million t; imports forecast 1.0 million t on reduced supplies.
Fauji Akbar Portia Marine Terminals, fapterminals.com, and The Express Tribune, 'FAP Terminal comes in handy': dedicated grain and fertiliser berth at Port Qasim, 14.5 m depth, two loader/unloaders of 1,600 t/h each, over 4 million t/yr; cargoes handled include wheat, rice, corn, fertiliser and canola.
Quality parameters: GAFTA contract forms; CBIL milling-wheat specification (protein 11.5%/12.5% dry basis, TW 76-78 kg/hl, Hagberg 250 s min, moisture 13.5% max, wet gluten 24-28%).