Adviser to the Prime Minister on Finance and Revenue Shaukat Tarin has directed all the provinces to meet their stocks by immediately lifting the imported sugar and injecting it into the market to bring down the prices.
He directed this while meeting with the National Price Monitoring Committee (NPMC) meeting held at the Finance Division.
Reviewing the price of sugar in the country, the Secretary of Finance informed the participants that the prices were easing out in Punjab due to proactive measures of the government.
He noted that the prices of essential commodities either declined or remained stable in the last week.
In his remarks in the meeting, Shaukat Tarin said the government had taken a range of administrative and policy measures, including managing the supply and demand chain, to bring the prices of daily commodities under control. He observed that the prices of daily commodities were controlled as compared to the last year.
The Secretary Finance briefed the NPMC on the weekly sensitive price indicator (SPI) situation which had increased by 0.67% during the week under review. He apprised the meeting participants of the price trend of essential commodities and told them that the prices of three essential commodities registered decline whereas rates of 20 items remained stable during the last week.
He further informed the meeting that the prices of essential commodities registered a decline in November as compared to the same month last year.
He explained that the prices of wheat flour bags remained consistent at Rs. 1100 per 20-kg due to the proactive measures of the Punjab Government and ICT administration.
The Advisor on Finance commended the efforts of the Punjab Government and Islamabad administration, however, he expressed concern over the significant price differential in the wheat flour prices in Sindh and Balochistan as compared to other provinces. He advised the Chief Secretaries of Sindh and Balochistan to ensure the daily releases of wheat to improve the supply situation in the markets. He reiterated that the government was committed to ensuring a smooth supply of wheat flour across the country at a government-specified rate.
The NPMC observed that Sastaa Sahulat Bazaars in Punjab are offering essential goods at subsidized prices. The Advisor to the PM commended the efforts of the representatives of the Punjab and Islamabad administration in providing key items at discounted prices through arranging Sastaa Bazars.
In his closing remarks, Shaukat Tarin stated that the government would continue to take all possible measures to ensure a smooth supply of essential commodities throughout the country.
The meeting was attended by Federal Minister for National Food Security & Research Syed Fakhar Imam, Federal Minister for Industries & Production Makhdoom Khusro Bakhtiar, Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Farrukh Habib, Advisor to the Prime Minister on Commerce & Investment Abdul Razak Dawood, Federal Secretaries, Provincial Chief Secretaries, Chief Statistician Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, Chairman Federal Board of Revenue, Managing Director Utility Stores Corporation, and other senior officers.
