AGL 36.58 Decreased By ▼ -1.42 (-3.74%)
AIRLINK 215.74 Increased By ▲ 1.83 (0.86%)
BOP 9.48 Increased By ▲ 0.06 (0.64%)
CNERGY 6.52 Increased By ▲ 0.23 (3.66%)
DCL 8.61 Decreased By ▼ -0.16 (-1.82%)
DFML 41.04 Decreased By ▼ -1.17 (-2.77%)
DGKC 98.98 Increased By ▲ 4.86 (5.16%)
FCCL 36.34 Increased By ▲ 1.15 (3.27%)
FFBL 88.94 No Change ▼ 0.00 (0%)
FFL 17.08 Increased By ▲ 0.69 (4.21%)
HUBC 126.34 Decreased By ▼ -0.56 (-0.44%)
HUMNL 13.44 Increased By ▲ 0.07 (0.52%)
KEL 5.23 Decreased By ▼ -0.08 (-1.51%)
KOSM 6.83 Decreased By ▼ -0.11 (-1.59%)
MLCF 44.10 Increased By ▲ 1.12 (2.61%)
NBP 59.69 Increased By ▲ 0.84 (1.43%)
OGDC 221.10 Increased By ▲ 1.68 (0.77%)
PAEL 40.53 Increased By ▲ 1.37 (3.5%)
PIBTL 8.08 Decreased By ▼ -0.10 (-1.22%)
PPL 191.53 Decreased By ▼ -0.13 (-0.07%)
PRL 38.55 Increased By ▲ 0.63 (1.66%)
PTC 27.00 Increased By ▲ 0.66 (2.51%)
SEARL 104.33 Increased By ▲ 0.33 (0.32%)
TELE 8.63 Increased By ▲ 0.24 (2.86%)
TOMCL 34.96 Increased By ▲ 0.21 (0.6%)
TPLP 13.70 Increased By ▲ 0.82 (6.37%)
TREET 24.89 Decreased By ▼ -0.45 (-1.78%)
TRG 73.55 Increased By ▲ 3.10 (4.4%)
UNITY 33.27 Decreased By ▼ -0.12 (-0.36%)
WTL 1.71 Decreased By ▼ -0.01 (-0.58%)
AGL 36.58 Decreased By ▼ -1.42 (-3.74%)
AIRLINK 215.74 Increased By ▲ 1.83 (0.86%)
BOP 9.48 Increased By ▲ 0.06 (0.64%)
CNERGY 6.52 Increased By ▲ 0.23 (3.66%)
DCL 8.61 Decreased By ▼ -0.16 (-1.82%)
DFML 41.04 Decreased By ▼ -1.17 (-2.77%)
DGKC 98.98 Increased By ▲ 4.86 (5.16%)
FCCL 36.34 Increased By ▲ 1.15 (3.27%)
FFBL 88.94 No Change ▼ 0.00 (0%)
FFL 17.08 Increased By ▲ 0.69 (4.21%)
HUBC 126.34 Decreased By ▼ -0.56 (-0.44%)
HUMNL 13.44 Increased By ▲ 0.07 (0.52%)
KEL 5.23 Decreased By ▼ -0.08 (-1.51%)
KOSM 6.83 Decreased By ▼ -0.11 (-1.59%)
MLCF 44.10 Increased By ▲ 1.12 (2.61%)
NBP 59.69 Increased By ▲ 0.84 (1.43%)
OGDC 221.10 Increased By ▲ 1.68 (0.77%)
PAEL 40.53 Increased By ▲ 1.37 (3.5%)
PIBTL 8.08 Decreased By ▼ -0.10 (-1.22%)
PPL 191.53 Decreased By ▼ -0.13 (-0.07%)
PRL 38.55 Increased By ▲ 0.63 (1.66%)
PTC 27.00 Increased By ▲ 0.66 (2.51%)
SEARL 104.33 Increased By ▲ 0.33 (0.32%)
TELE 8.63 Increased By ▲ 0.24 (2.86%)
TOMCL 34.96 Increased By ▲ 0.21 (0.6%)
TPLP 13.70 Increased By ▲ 0.82 (6.37%)
TREET 24.89 Decreased By ▼ -0.45 (-1.78%)
TRG 73.55 Increased By ▲ 3.10 (4.4%)
UNITY 33.27 Decreased By ▼ -0.12 (-0.36%)
WTL 1.71 Decreased By ▼ -0.01 (-0.58%)
BR100 11,987 Increased By 93.1 (0.78%)
BR30 37,178 Increased By 323.2 (0.88%)
KSE100 111,351 Increased By 927.9 (0.84%)
KSE30 35,039 Increased By 261 (0.75%)

KARACHI: Pakistan Businessmen and Intellectuals Forum President Mian Zahid Hussain has said that though the government has allowed the private sector and the Trading Corporation of Pakistan (TCP) to import wheat, yet taxes and duties were not waived on time which resulted in the import of only 300,000 tons of wheat.

He expressed the fear that another wheat and flour crisis had started engulfing the country.

The government should take flour mills' association into confidence to ward off the crisis which could result in widespread protests, he said.

He said a fertilizer crisis was also becoming visible which would damage the agriculture sector and trigger a food security issue in the country.

He said that the National Assembly's Standing Committee on Commerce not only issued a warning of a nationwide flour crisis in December, but it had also observed that the whole process of import of wheat was marred by mismanagement which jacked up prices of wheat and flour.

The quantity of wheat imported by the private sector was insufficient to cater to the needs of the population, he said.

He alleged that the TCP's response to the crisis had encouraged profiteers.

The authorities concerned failed to predict the situation and take timely measures.

The government should start importing wheat itself if it wanted to arrest the trend of rising prices in the market, he said.

He said that the government should also take stock of the availability of urea and fertilizer in the country and take steps for importing them without any delay.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2020

Comments

Comments are closed.