Hafeez stresses for drastic measures to curb inflation

ISLAMABAD: Adviser to Prime Minister on Finance and Revenue, Dr. Abdul Hafeez Shaikh Monday urged upon all the stakeholders to take drastic measures to curb inflation.

Chairing the meeting of National Price Monitoring Committee (NPMC) to review the prices of essential perishable commodities, the Advisor emphasized on the role of district market committees to curb price variation effectively.

The Advisor also directed the Chief Secretaries to minimize price disparity by streamlining the release of wheat at regular intervals to avoid profiteering.

Among others, the NPMC meeting was attended by Minister for Food Security Syed Fakhar Imam, Adviser for Commerce Abdul Razaq Dawood, Adviser to PM on Institutional reforms Dr. Ishrat Hussain, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Revenue Dr. Waqar Masood, Secretary NFS&R, Secretary Planning, Secretary Ministry of Industries & Production, Chief Secretaries from Punjab, Sindh, KPK and Balochistan, Chairperson, Competition Commission of Pakistan and representatives from Utility Stores and Pakistan Bureau of Statistics.

The NPMC deliberated upon increase in the prices of wheat, sugar and perishable items namely Tomatoes, Onions, Potatoes and Chicken and discussed corrective measures to provide relief to the end consumers.

It was stated by the concerned Ministries that the reasons behind the price hike include gap in supply and demand due to climatic factors, upward trend in international prices and increased profit margin between wholesale & retailers, particularly in metropolitan areas.

There was a general consensus that recent rains and COVID-19 have further aggravated the situation.

NPMC also reviewed the time-line for import of wheat and sugar to meet domestic demand for the same.

The Adviser Finance was briefed that the total public sector procurement for wheat through government to government (G2G) and TCP is equal to 1.8 MT based on the demand estimates provided by the Provinces and PASSCO.

It was also stated that sufficient sugar stocks are available in the country till November, 2020.

Adviser Finance also directed Utility Stores to streamline the availability of essential items in order to provide maximum relief to the lowest strata of the society.

The Advisor Finance expressed confidence that effective and well-concerted actions by the Provincial Governments and the concerned Ministries will help in controlling the menace of inflation.