ISLAMABAD: The Provincial Cabinet on Tuesday allowed the Trading Corporation of Pakistan (TCP) and the Punjab Food Department to import 151,700 tonnes of sugar.
The meeting was held in the Chief Minister’s Office under the chairmanship of Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Sardar Usman Buzdar wherein provincial ministers, special assistants, advisors, chief secretary and concerned officials were present.
A representative from the Ministry of Industries and Production informed the meeting that private dealers’ stocks of 0.445 million tonnes are available till November 4 whereas the Sindh cane commissioner reported that a total stock 0.565 million tonnes of sugar will be available till November 9.
Similarly, the Punjab government’s representative informed the meeting that the crushing of sugarcane will begin in the first week of November, adding that the provincial government has imposed a heavy fine through legislation in order to expedite the process to meet deadlines.
Sugarcane crushing in Sindh will start by mid-November.
The Cabinet decided to amend the Sugar Factories Control Act, 1950 and approved it whereas the amendment will give the Punjab government the power to fix zone wise dates for starting the crushing season.
A ministerial committee which will present its final recommendations in three days was also set up to fix the price of sugarcane at the meeting.
The meeting decided to repeal Section 4 of the Punjab Privatisation Board Act 2010 for which the commissioner will supervise the auction process of government lands and on the other hand, approve amendments to the policy for assigning proprietary rights to the temporary farming lease scheme for which farmers will be able to submit applications till December 31.
The meeting approved in principle relaxation of policies for allocation of government land for Naya Pakistan Housing Program while Punjab Housing, as well as the Town Planning Agency Affordable Housing Scheme, Rules 2020.
The semi-annual monitoring report on the implementation of the National Finance Commission (NFC) Award for January to June and July to December of 2018 and January to June of 2019 was also approved during the meeting.
The Auditor General of Pakistan (AGP) also approved the audit reports of the Government of Punjab for the accounts for the years 2017-18, 2018-19 and 2019-20.
Furthermore, the Punjab CM ordered an indiscriminate crackdown against hoarders and profiteers. “The Provincial Price Control Committee (PPCC) and the administrative officers should take indiscriminate action against those who sell essential commodities above the stipulated prices. Ensure availability of essential commodities to the people of the province at notified rates.”
The meeting was also informed that CPI inflation YoY was recorded at 9.0pc in September against 11.4pc during the same month last year.
It was also noted that average inflation during July-September FY 2020-21 also showed a declining trend and recorded at 8.8pc as compared to 10.1pc in the same period last year.
It was, however, also noted that the profit margin between wholesale and retail has risen which are affecting the common man.
It was observed that an upward trend was witnessed in prices of perishable commodities during Sept-October 2020. The reason cited for the upward pricing trend was unprecedented rainfall which adversely affected the local produce.
