LAHORE: As many as 309 Ramazan Bazars will be operational in the Punjab Province from 25th of Islamic month of Shaban to provide daily use items on subsidized rates to the people of Punjab.

These temporary markets will continue working as ‘Ramazan Bazar’ till 20th of Ramazan and then will be converted in to Eid Bazar. The Government is committed to provide daily use items on the level of 2018, no matter how much subsidy it will require, said the Punjab Minister for Industries Mian Aslam Iqbal while talking to media persons after attending a meeting under the Punjab Investment Board convened to resolve the issues faced by the exporters.

To a question, the Minister said that poultry industry had hit hard due to Coronavirus pandemic and hike in feed prices and reduction in production had increased poultry meat prices. He admitted that poultry sector needed incentives to keep the prices stable. He also disclosed that the Punjab government had requested the federal government to import 300,000 metric tons of sugar before Ramazan as crushing season in the province is completed. He said that imported sugar would help bringing down the prices of the commodity. He said that the Punjab government had also proposed that the utility stores and those use sugar for commercial purposes should also be allowed to import the commodity at their own.

Meanwhile, the Minister said that the Punjab government will establish Special Economic Zones in every district of the province, while a policy for the establishment of Women SME will be introduced soon.

These views were expressed by the speakers while addressing a Public-Private Dialogue arranged by the Punjab Board of Investment and Trade to address the impediments faced by exporters.

He was speaking at the Provincial Minister for ICI&SDD Mian Aslam Iqbal, Provincial Finance Minister Hashim Jawan Bakht, Special Assistant to CM on Business, Investment & Trade Sardar Tanveer Ilyas Khan, Chief Executive Officer PBIT Dr Erfa Iqbal, representatives from prominent chambers of the province, business community, government departments including State Bank of Pakistan, FBR, TDAP, Income Tax and a large number of exporters attended the dialogue.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2021