ISLAMABAD: The Cabinet has directed Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) to create a separate category for ‘Fine Atta’ in monitoring of prices of essential food items, official sources told Business Recorder.
These directions were issued at a recent Cabinet meeting after a member pointed out that there were two separate prices prevalent in the market - one for Atta produced from wheat released at the official price and the other for Atta milled from the more expensive wheat imported by the private sector.
During the meeting attention of the Cabinet was also drawn to the bulk arrival of imported wheat and sugar and the need for necessary coordination amongst the agencies for their seamless transportation upcountry was stressed. Briefing the Cabinet on the plan to stabilize the price of wheat/Atta, it was stated that with the import of wheat by the public and private sectors, the national stocks were being significantly bolstered. To restore the confidence of the market and to stabilize the price through supply-side intervention, the provinces had agreed to increase their daily releases of wheat. While explaining the price differential between Chakki Atta and the more expensive Fine Atta, it was suggested that PBS should create a separate category for Fine Atta. The Prime Minister directed Minister for National Food Security & Research to monitor the releases of wheat by the provinces on daily basis.
The Cabinet was also briefed on the reserves and import of sugar. It was informed that the process of physical verification had been initiated in line with the Sugar Inquiry Report. To meet the shortfall, a total of 250,000 MT of sugar was being imported through public and private sectors. The new sugarcane crushing season would start by November 10, 2020 and the relevant law had been amended to impose harsh punishment on millers for delaying the start of crushing. It was hoped that with improvement in supply situation the price of sugar would drop by Rs. 10 to Rs. 15 in the coming days.
A suggestion was made that apart from wheat and sugar, the supply situation of other essential food items, especially vegetables and fruits, should also be constantly monitored so that timely interventions could be planned well ahead of time. The Prime Minister unequivocally emphasized the imperative of curbing food inflation, which directly affected the common man, especially those living below the poverty line. He directed Minister for National Food Security & Research to give a detailed presentation to the Cabinet on the reasons for inflationary pressures on essential food items during this year, particularly, wheat, sugar and vegetables, and give recommendations on how to plan better for next year. Minister for Industries & Production was directed to assist in the exercise.
The issue of shortage of wheat seed for the upcoming sowing season was also highlighted. Minister for National Food Security & Research assured that necessary measures had been taken to ensure availability of required quantities of seed.
A member drew attention to the scarcity of influenza vaccine in the market and expressed concern over its hoarding. Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on National Health Services, Regulations & Coordination stated that each season a new strain was added so the vaccine changed every year. He acknowledged that the vaccine was short in the market as global supply chains were under stress, however, he would check the aspect of hoarding.
Alluding to the directions of the Cabinet given in the last meeting, to verify the figures presented during the briefing on 'Restructuring of PIA', Minister for Aviation confirmed the veracity of the figures. Minister for Science & Technology expressed some reservations, as according to his information, few of the figures were different from what was claimed by the CEO, PIA. It was suggested that the Minister for Science & Technology should share his numbers with Minister for Aviation for verification by the PIA management.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2020
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