ISLAMABAD: The Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the Cabinet has cancelled the floating of a fresh tender to import wheat on the recommendations of the Technical Advisory Committee (TAC).
The meeting of ECC was held here under the chair of Minister for Economic Affairs Omer Ayub on Thursday.
According to details, the meeting reviewed the summary tabled by the Ministry of National Food Security and Research with regard to demand and supply of wheat in the country.
Sources said that the Trading Corporation of Pakistan (TCP) had issued six tenders for the import of 90,000 metric tonnes wheat during the shipment window of January 2022; however, the committee, under the chair of minister for MSD&R, recommended scrapping the tenders due to higher price.
However, the ECC recommended that there is no need for further import of wheat through G2G arrangements keeping in view the sufficient stock position of wheat flour, as well as the demand and supply situation, international wheat prices, and local releases to flour mills.
The Ministry of National Food & Security also presented a summary before the committee to reshuffle the chairmanship of the committee for accepting or scrapping tenders floated by TCP to import wheat and sugar.
The ECC recommended that the adviser to the PM on Finance & Revenue may head the aforesaid committee for taking operational decisions related to tenders for import of wheat and sugar floated by the TCP.
Meanwhile, the ECC also recommended a summary regarding permission for the export of wheat flour to Afghanistan under the World Food Programme strategy in wake of the recent crisis in the neighboring country.
The chair also recommended a summary presented by the Ministry of Industries & Production regarding late payment surcharge of operations of fertiliser plants at SNGPL between September, 2018 to November, 2019 with a direction to seek prior approval from the SNGPL Board of Directors (BoD).
The Power Division tabled the summary regarding decision of the authority in matter of fuel charges adjustment for the months of November, 2019 to June, 2020 for DISCOS . The ECC, after due deliberation, recommended that the federal government may issue guidelines to NEPRA and also require it to reconsider its decision dated August 7, 2020, to allow recovery of pending FCA as prior year adjustment in rebasing decisions which are under process at the authority.
The Petroleum Division presented the summary regarding extension of gas network and rehabilitation of network in oil and gas producing districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP).
The summary outlined details regarding phase-II of the project that will reduce gas losses in gas producing districts of KP in collaboration with the provincial government.
Moreover, the ECC also approved Technical Supplementary Grants (TSGs) worth Rs30 million in favour of Ministry of Energy for execution of development schemes of Sindh under PSDP, Rs300 million in favour of Interior Division for establishment of Pakistan Emergency Helpline (PEHEL) and $190 million to National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) for procurement of the Covid-19 vaccine including transportation and handling charges.Â
