Qamar expresses concern on current import of wheat

ISLAMABAD: Chairman, NA Standing Committee on Commerce, Syed Naveed Qamar on Thursday expressed serious concern on the current import of wheat, when local wheat is started arriving in the market.

During a briefing on ‘import of wheat’ by Trading Corporation of Pakistan (TCP), he said that the figures showed that the imported wheat was more expensive than the local market, adding consequences would start next year when nobody would be ready to sow the crop.

Syed Naveed Qamar was chairing 21st meeting of the Standing Committee on Commerce in the Parliament House.

He said "This permanent cycle of import of wheat, the government is providing incentives to others instead our own growers and the situation is against whole agriculture sector and the economy of Pakistan."

The committee invited the Secretary, Ministry of National Food Security and Research for a briefing on wheat, in the next meeting.

The Chairman Trading Corporation of Pakistan (TCP) briefed the Standing Committee on Commerce that as per given target by the government, the TCP had imported 2.16 million MT wheat through international tendering and PASCO. 30 bulk vessels of TCP arrived from October 2020 to March 2021. Tenders for Additional 300,000MT are floated by TCP.

The committee also discussed the issues relating to import of Cotton.

The Ministry of Commerce informed the committee that due to less Cotton production, domestic production of Cotton yarns had remained low which resulted yarn shortage and subsequently high yarn prices.

Value-added sector is not able to cover yarn to materialize export orders.

The Standing Committee observed a continuous decline of Cotton production since FY 2015-16. The Committee constituted a Sub- Committee on the matter.

The subcommittee will present its report in 30 days.

The meeting was attended by MNA Ali Khan Jadoon, Khurram Shehzad , Mian Muhammad Shafiq, Ms. Wajiha Akram, Ms. Sajida Begum, Usman Ibrahim, Rana Iradat Sharif Khan MNA, Mr. Rasheed Ahmed Khan MNA, and Ms. Tahira Aurangzeb,Ms. Shaza Fatima Khawaja.