Pakistan Businessmen and Intellectuals Forum (PBIF) President Mian Zahid Hussain has emphasised the need for putting in place a strict monitoring system for important crops to keep their prices stable, ensure availability and look after the interests of growers and consumers alike.

He said tomato prices are not receding despite imports due to profiteer mafia. The important issue of food security should not be left to profiteers and middlemen, therefore, the federal and provincial governments should join hands for effective monitoring of vegetables, he said.

He noted that last year the farmers were selling tomato at Rs3-4 per kg in Sindh while tomato smuggling in August damaged the poor farmers of Balochistan, therefore, the government must take steps to safeguard the rights of masses and planters. The price volatility despite imports not only point towards profiteering but also the fact that imports will not resolve the problem. The government should take steps to enhance per acre yield to cater for increasing demand.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2019