Minister for National Food Security and Research Syed Fakhar Imam on Wednesday assured the National Assembly Standing Committee on National Food Security and Research that the matter regarding the closure of Millat Tractors Ltd (MTL) production unit over refunds of sales tax would be addressed.
The minister said this while briefing the committee over the issue raised by Committee Chairman Rao Muhammad Ajmal, who chaired the meeting.
A representative of the company while briefing the committee informed that an amount of Rs. 6 billion is outstanding with the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR). The amount has been accumulating since April 2020, under the head of the refund of sales tax. The committee expressed grave concern about the closure of the production unit before the harvesting season of wheat.
Fakhar Imam assured the committee that he will talk to Finance Minister Shaukat Tarin and the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) Chairman to settle the issue at the earliest.
Another member drew the attention of the committee about lumpy skin disease (LSD) in Sindh which is causing serious damage. It was informed that Sindh province is most affected with almost 18,300 affected animals. Officials informed the committee that the country lacks a vaccine to cure the disease and onetime exemption is being sought from the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) to purchase the vaccine. After the grant of necessary permission, vaccination will be available in Pakistan.
It was further informed that the government has established various response centers in the provinces and is closely monitoring the situation. The committee recommended running an awareness campaign to highlight symptoms and precautions for protecting animals and for the awareness of farmers.
The committee also recommended preparing a feasibility report for the establishment of date processing plants in the country.
The committee was also briefed on wheat procurement by Pakistan Agricultural Storage & Services Corporation Ltd (PASSCO) and issues related to the PASSCO procurement centers as well as the wheat procurement plan for the year 2022-23 by the Food Department, Government of Punjab.
The committee was informed that the ministry is trying to fix a uniform price of wheat for the whole country. A proposal will be placed before the cabinet for the fixation of rates. Last year, the government had to import 1.5 million tons of wheat to fulfill the domestic requirements, however, the government is now expecting bumper production which would be sufficient for domestic needs.
At the request of the PASSCO, the committee recommended that the Government of Punjab should not establish its procurement centers in districts/tehsils where PASSCO has established its procurement centers.
The committee considered The Pakistan Food Security Flow and Information Bill, 2021 (Ordinance XXI of 2021) and The Pakistan Tobacco Board (Amendment) Bill, 2021 (Government Bills). After detailed deliberations, the committee recommended that the assembly may pass the bills.
