Finance minister orders for maintaining strict check on food items' prices

ISLAMABAD: Finance Minister Ishaq Dar Saturday directed the authorities concerned to maintain strict check on the prices of food items.

Chairing the National Price Monitoring Committee meeting in Islamabad, he directed to control the undeclared monopoly, take corrective measures and arrest any cartelization, particularly in milk and meat products as well as mitigate any expected rise in prices of pulses.

The minister also expressed concern about the slight increase in the prices of sugar and directed the Ministry of Commerce to vigilantly monitor the prices and if there is any erratic movement, take appropriate remedial action.

With regard to prices of beef and mutton, he directed the Ministry of National Food and Security to take corrective measures to curb smuggling. He advised provincial governments to be more vigilant to control prices.

The meeting also reviewed the essential item’s prices in sasta bazaars and open markets and noted that the prices are significantly lower in sasta bazaars as compared to open markets.

It was observed that prices of wheat, wheat flour, chicken, onion, tomatoes, cooking oil, vegetable ghee, masoor pulse, moong pulse, mash pulse decreased last month as compared to corresponding month of last year.

Prices of cooking oil, vegetable ghee, chicken, banana, tomatoes, rice, and mustard oil are much lower than the prices in 2013.

The meeting noted that the prices of wheat, wheat flour, chicken farm, petrol, diesel, rice basmati, sugar, mash pulse and beef are lowest in Pakistan as compared to New Delhi and Dhaka.