ISLAMABAD: As the country is all-set to harvest a record potato crop, Finance Minister Shaukat Tarin on Wednesday directed the Ministry of National Food Security and Research to come up with a strategy to export the surplus to ensure farmers get a fair price for their produce.

Chairing the National Price Monitoring Comm­ittee (NPMC) meeting, Mr Tarin also directed setting up of a production forecasting unit for major and minor crops for timely decision-making to ensure price stability.

The NPMC also discussed the stock position of petroleum products and expressed serious concerns about the low stocks of high-speed diesel and directed the Petroleum Division to take cognisance of the issue and ensure the smooth availability of these products.

The meeting also reviewed the wheat stock position and took note of slow wheat releases to millers by the Balochistan government, the minister directed all provincial governments to increase daily wheat releases to bring stability in the flour prices.

Ministry of Industry and Production Secretary Jawwad Rafique Malik briefed the meeting on the process for building strategic reserves of sugar to maintain price stability.

Mr Tarin expressed concerns about the rise in the prices of edible oil and directed the Ministry of Industry to expedite the action against the edible oil manufacturers to address the issue of charging higher prices from domestic consumers.

The meeting, however, stressed the need to increase the imports of edible oil for sustainable availability of the commodity in Ramazan.

The meeting also reviewed the prices of pulses and their availability.

The meeting was informed that a decrease had been witnessed in the wholesale and retail prices of various items in the last week. A slight increase had been witnessed in the wholesale and retail prices of potatoes and onions due to an increase in the transportation charges after the petroleum price hike.

Mr Tarin directed provincial authorities to take measures to reduce the wholesale and retail price gap in both commodities.

The meeting was informed that there was no shortage of fertiliser. The Ministry of Industry and Production was directed to formulate a strategy to rationalise the prices of fertiliser in light of the decision to provide cheaper gas to fertiliser manufacturers for the provision of adequate relief to the growers.The NPMC was briefed on the availability of essential goods at subsidized rates at the Sastaa & Sahulat Bazaars across the country.

Published in Dawn, February 24th, 2022