ISLAMABAD: A meeting of the National Price Monitoring Committee (NPMC) on Monday directed the provincial and district administrations to proactively monitor the prices of chicken and edible oil in order to ensure smooth supply at fair prices across the country.

The meeting of the NPMC presided over by the secretary finance - as finance minister was engaged at the Prime Minister’s Office in meetings - reviewed the price trend of essential commodities especially wheat flour, eggs, chicken, sugar, and edible oil during the last week.

The meeting was attended by the representatives of the Ministry of Industries and Production, the Ministry of Commerce, the Ministry of National Food Security and Research, provincial administrations, the PASSCO, the PBS, the CCP, the FBR, and senior officers of the Finance Division.

The secretary, Ministry of Finance briefed the NPMC about weekly SPI that increased by 0.5 percent. The NPMC noted decline in prices of wheat, sugar, tomatoes, onion, eggs, and potatoes, during the week.

The chief secretaries from respective provincial governments updated the NPMC about availability of sufficient stocks of wheat and average per day release by the provinces, which was stable throughout the country. The NPMC directed the secretary food, Balochistan and the MD, PASSCO, to make an immediate arrangement for lifting 20,000MT wheat from the PASSCO to ensure steady supply of wheat flour in the province.

The NPMC urged the provincial governments and the departments concerned for making consolidated and coordinated efforts to avoid hoarding, black marketing, and smuggling to ensure uninterrupted supply of basic commodities at affordable prices across the country.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2021