The Foreign Office (FO) on Thursday clarified that currently there is no proposal under consideration for resumption of trade or import of vegetables from India.
In his weekly press briefing, Foreign Office Spokesman Asim Iftikhar while replying to a question said “We are in touch with countries in the broader neighborhood to facilitate import of those commodities as early as possible.”
It is pertinent to mention here that Finance Minister Miftah Ismail had said on Wednesday that more than one international agency has approached the government to allow them to bring food items from India through the land border.
The minister however said that the government will take a decision in this regard after consulting its collation partners and key stakeholders.
After India’s move to revoke Article 370 of its constitution in 2019 that granted Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) a special status, Pakistan downgraded its trade relations with India to the level of Israel with which it has no trade ties.
Shortage of vegetables
The devastation caused by the recent floods in the country has severely impacted the crops and led to a shortage of onions and tomatoes, leading to a significant rise in the prices of the two commodities.
The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) today issued Statutory Regulatory Orders (SROs) for the time-bound exemption of the duties and taxes on the import of onion and tomatoes.
