The Speaker of the National Assembly Asad Qaiser took notice of the concerns of farmers over the method of subsidizing fertilizers and pesticides.
Baaghi TV: Special Committee passes resolution to facilitate export of mangoes to regional and other countries of the world and beyond.
According to a Baaghi TV report, National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser has taken notice of farmers’ concerns over the method of subsidizing fertilizers and pesticides. As head of the special committee on agricultural products, Asad Qaiser also said that the Ministry of National Food Security and Research, in collaboration with the provinces, should formulate a timely mechanism for transparent distribution of subsidies to farmers. Also ensure that subsidies reach all farmers without discrimination.
The special committee also passed a resolution to facilitate mango exports to the region and other parts of the world. The Speaker National Assembly presided over a meeting of the Special Committee on agricultural products at Parliament House, Islamabad.
Federal Minister for National Food Security and Research Syed Fakhar Imam said that after the 18th amendment, agriculture was basically a jurisdiction of the provinces. He added that the Ministry of National Food Security and Research is pursuing a broader policy on fertilizer subsidy, the implementation of which is a provincial matter. He further said that ECC has approved a significant subsidy of Rs. One lakh. 37 billion will be allocated for fertilizers and pesticides and the government will ensure that subsidies reach farmers in a transparent manner. Committee members and special invitees including Asad Umar, Makhdoom Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Syed Naveed Qamar and Dr. Fehmida Mirza urged the Speaker National Assembly to convene a meeting with all the provinces immediately and provide subsidy on fertilizers and pesticides.
The committee also considered obstacles to Pakistani mango exporters, especially the increase in freight charges by Pakistan International Airlines and supply issues at Taftan border. The committee urged the CEO PIA to review the freight charges for mango exports and submit a report to the committee. The committee was informed that Pakistan exports more than 14,000 tonnes of mangoes worth Rs 400 million to Iran every year. In the wake of the COVID-19 crisis and the resulting ban, the Government of Pakistan and the Government of Iran agreed to open the border for commercial vehicles three days a week from 08:00 AM to 2:00 PM. The committee was told that Iranian vehicles are allowed to enter Pakistan and on return, they can take Pakistani goods to Iran. However, Pakistani trucks are not allowed to enter Iran. Not only is the number of Iranian containers small, but a large number of them bring LPG from Iran, so they cannot carry a shipment of mangoes to Pakistan.
Due to the nature of the perishable products and the extraordinary delay in allowing trucks to enter Iran through the Taftan border, mango exporters suffer, as well as the country’s foreign exchange. The committee recommended that the Interior Ministry facilitate mango exports to Iran five days a week during the mango season. During the mango season, Taftan should provide border opening arrangements and trade facilities. In addition, the committee recommended that Pakistani trucks carrying mangoes be allowed to transport mangoes to Iranian ports or that arrangements be made for at least 100 containers to be shipped excluding LPG-carrying containers / vehicles, which can be taken to Iran.
The Speaker directed the Federal Minister for home affairs to invite him to the committee on Tuesday to find a solution to the issue. The Speaker urged the Energy Minister to look into the issue of electricity tariff, installment of tube well bills and forensics of farmers’ electricity bills. Remove farmers’ concerns about the audit.
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