ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly Standing Committee on Commerce directed Trading Corporation of Pakistan (TCP) to make buffer stocks of Sugar, Urea, Cotton, Wheat and other commodities to face any crisis of shortage and to control their prices in the country.
A meeting of the Standing Committee on Commerce was held here on Thursday under the chairmanship of Engineer Khurram Dastgir Khan, MNA.
With regard to situation of sugar in the country, the Committee expressed concern that the authority has failed to maintain and check the prices of sugar as rates in the tender floated by the Government's Committee is higher than the rates of sugar in the market.
The Government rates in tender are Rs. 65 per kg where as market rates is Rs. 50-52 per kg.
The tender process is bogus and it seems that mollified attention is involved for which TCP is wholly responsible, the Committee alleged.
There is huge inefficiencies and suspicious of corruption in issuing of permits and distribution of Sugar and Urea.
In view of Power and gas crisis shall nation suffer more or Government has devised some remedial measures, the Committee enquired.
The Committee noted that it is perpetual crisis with regard to sugar, urea, cotton, wheat and other commodities.
If existing crisis continued it may become a big scandal so TCP should immediately start purchasing the sugar from sugar Mills.
The Committee noted with concern that grower is facing severe financial crisis which may result in short fall of sugar in next year.
The Committee enquired why raw sugar was not imported and maintained by TCP when the Government of Pakistan repeatedly approved this proposal.
With regard to sale of sugarcan to sugar Mills, the policy should be revised to bound the sugar Mills to give full cash to growers.
With regard to situation of urea, the Committee expressed concern that in the year 2008-2010 embezzlement of Rs. 27 billion was made in National Fertilizer Marketing Ltd (NFML).
In November , 2010 the price of urea bag was Rs. 875 but nowadays it is Rs. 2100 per bag, the Committee noted with concern. The Committee criticized that in Punjab Province 50 per cent of Urea remained missing.
In District Mandi Bahuddin there were 59 dealers but practically 7 dealers were verified and 52 dealers did not exist in the market which mean that Urea was not sold on government prescribed rates.
Additional Director FIA informed that NFML received illegal commission of Rs. 390 million for smuggling of Urea from Karachi to Afghanistan.
Ministry of Interior has been requested to accord approval to register case on 24-11-2011.
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