In a bid to control prices of essential commodities in the upcoming month of Ramadan, the government will approve the Ramadan Package today.

Finance Minister Abdul Hafeez Sheikh while addressing the media said that the Economic Coordination Committee will approve the package. He said that the prices of some items had increased in accordance with global market trends.

The government had imported 4 million tons of wheat and 0.5 million tons of sugar, he said and added that the prices of ghee and oil had increased because of an increase in edible oil price in the international market.

“The government has been providing subsidy on five items at Utility Stores Corporation (USC) to protect the poor and will provide on more items in the Ramazan package that would be approved by the ECC today [Wednesday],” he added.

Meanwhile, Federal Minister for Production and Industries Hammad Azhar said that utility stores was providing wheat flour at a subsidized rate of Rs 800 per 20 kg bag, sugar at Rs 68 per kg, ghee at Rs 125 per kg and the price was retained for over a year and it has been decided that this price would continue in future as well.