The ministries of commerce and national food security together with the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) will facilitate the import of onions and tomatoes whose prices have sky-rocketed due to the massive damage caused to the crops by the floods, reports WealthPK. In order to assess the availability of these two important products in the country, Federal Minister for Commerce Naveed Qamar chaired a meeting here on Tuesday.

The meeting noted that the floods had heavily damaged the crops, causing a hike in the prices of these two commodities. It was also noted that the country will face shortage of tomatoes and onions in the next three months. The participants agreed that import of tomatoes and onions will help stabilize their prices and ensure their availability in the market. In order to facilitate the import of onions and tomatoes, the Ministry of Commerce, Ministry of National Food Security and Research and FBR will work together. Furthermore, they will monitor the situation daily to ensure supply of the commodities to the market.

Furthermore, a proposal will be forwarded to the Economic Coordination Committee to allow a waiver of levies and duties on import of tomatoes and onions, so that these items can be available in the market at a reduced price. The meeting was of view that imports from Iran and Afghanistan will have minimal impact on the precious foreign exchange because of special trade arrangements with these countries.

Naveed Qamar said immediate steps should be taken to ensure the availability of tomatoes and onions to the consumers, while every effort should be made to stabilize their prices. The commerce ministry is in contact with the foreign governments through commercial counsellors and trade attachés in order to make arrangements in the shortest possible time. The Ministry of National Food Security and Research in coordination with all stakeholders, will continue to monitor the food security situation and take steps to ensure food availability in the country.

Credit : Independent News Pakistan-WealthPk