Pulses, sugar and cement prices reviewed

Adviser to the Prime Minister on Finance, Revenue, Economic Affairs and Statistics held a meeting with representatives of importers of essential commodities, including pulses here on Saturday. Minister of State for Finance, Omar Ayub Khan was also present during the meeting.
The meeting reviewed the situation of prices as well as availability of essential food items including pulses, sugar, vegetables and beef and noted that prices of pulses had registered increase owing to domestic and the international shortfall in the production of pulses.
However, the meeting expressed satisfaction that situation of prices of the pulses was improving steadily and the price of gram would become stable on arrival of containers of 150,000 tones of yellow peas, a best substitute for gram, which could be used as food like grams.
The meeting observed that the prices of other pulses including masoor, mash and moong had also witnessed upward trend over the past few weeks due to less domestic production as well as global shortage of these pulses.
The meeting noted that the supply and demand formula applied to the cost of pulses and the climatic conditions mainly affect the production and supply of these items. The traders suggested that the prices of pulses could be controlled if the government provide freight subsidy on the import of pulses.
The meeting expressed the apprehension that hoarding of pulses by the black marketeers might be one of the reasons for up-shot of the prices of pulses. The meeting urged the need for taking appropriate remedial measures by the concerned agencies against hoarders and black marketeers.
The meeting noted that the prices of vegetables including potatoes and tomatoes were stable in the market. The traders expressed their gratitude to the adviser for removing administrative hurdles on the import of beef as a result of which beef price was going to become stable.
Apart from the eatables, the meeting reviewed the prices of cement and hoped that the prices of cement would soon come down to Rs 280-Rs 285 per bag on arrival of imported cement containers in the country.
It was decided in the meeting that current policy will continue until the domestic price of cement is stabilised at Rs 280-285 per bag. The government will only revise its cement policy after consulting all stakeholders including the importers of cement.