A federal minister on Wednesday blocked the ministry of commerce’s proposal to abolish 25 per cent regulatory duty on potato imports from India, a participant of a meeting told The News.
Potato prices in the local market have registered a phenomenal surge after the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the cabinet imposed 25 per cent regulatory duty on its imports from India in January 2009 on the request of the Ministry of Industries and Production.
Chairing a meeting of the ECC sub-committee to review the prices of essential food items, Federal Minister for Food and Agriculture Nazar Mohammad Gondal discussed the current price trends in view of the upcoming month of Ramazan.
The meeting stressed the need for continued and ensured availability of essential food items to common consumers at affordable prices without compromising the interest of local producers and farmers and decided to see a rational mechanism for enhancing supply through imports, says an official announcement by the Ministry of Food and Agriculture.
Potato prices in the local market have registered a phenomenal surge after the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the cabinet imposed 25 per cent regulatory duty on its imports from India in January 2009 on the request of the Ministry of Industries and Production.
Chairing a meeting of the ECC sub-committee to review the prices of essential food items, Federal Minister for Food and Agriculture Nazar Mohammad Gondal discussed the current price trends in view of the upcoming month of Ramazan.
The meeting stressed the need for continued and ensured availability of essential food items to common consumers at affordable prices without compromising the interest of local producers and farmers and decided to see a rational mechanism for enhancing supply through imports, says an official announcement by the Ministry of Food and Agriculture.
The committee decided to increase supply of potatoes, especially to the weekly bazaars from the storage. The supply would be closely monitored, it added.
The statement further said that the committee observed that potato supply would improve after the arrival of fresh crop from Balochistan which was expected by the end of July and subsequently from Sindh. Therefore, the need for import was not considered necessary.
The statement further said that the committee observed that potato supply would improve after the arrival of fresh crop from Balochistan which was expected by the end of July and subsequently from Sindh. Therefore, the need for import was not considered necessary.
