Provincial govts directed to ensure ‘fair’ price of roti

ISLAMABAD: The National Price Monitoring Committee (NPMC) on Thursday directed provincial governments to take ‘immediate and strict’ measures to ensure the fair price of roti for public.

The committee said subsidy of Rs1.5 billion provided to ‘Roti Tandoors’ has not been translated into provision of cheap roti to common man.

The committee met under the chairmanship of special finance secretary to deliberate upon the prices of essential food and non-food items and stock of supply of the essential items. Representatives from the provincial governments, Islamabad capital territory (ICT), cabinet division, ministries of food security and research, industries, commerce, planning development and reform, Federal Board of Revenue, Inter-Provincial Coordination, CCP, Pakistan Bureau of Statistics and Utility Stores Corporation attended the meeting.

“Profit margin between wholesaler and retailer is huge,” an official statement quoted the NPMC as saying. “Therefore the provincial governments should take concrete steps to check undue profit margins for benefit of common man.”

It was emphasised that the prices control committees should be made more proactive to check the general price level at the wholesale and retail levels and undue profiteering in the provinces.

Utility Stores Corporation was directed to explore the possibility of establishing its outlets in ‘sasta bazars’ to ensure provision of non-perishable items to far-flung areas of the country.

ICT administration was advised to present a concrete plan of price monitoring mechanism and measures to remove disparity in prices in the capital area.

NPMC directed the FBR to take immediate steps to control smuggling in the country, which is creating distortions in the supply and prices of the commodities.

The meeting was informed that the sensitive price indicator monitoring the prices of 51 essential items on weekly basis recorded an increase of 1.01 percent on the week ended on 19th September. The committee also discussed the price movements of these items among the provinces and ICT and observed variations in price level.

Food ministry told the NPMC that the stocks of wheat/wheat flour are sufficient to meet the domestic demand and the prices of wheat bag and roti/nan would remain stable in the country. It was told that the food ministry constituted a committee in compliance with directions of NPMC to execute the recommendations of the Competition Commission of Pakistan to check cartelisation, undue profiteering and monopolistic practices in order to control the price hike.

Punjab government apprised the NPMC of online market complaints mobile app, “Qeemat Punjab”, which is meant to get hands-on picture of price escalation and overpricing matter.

ICT administration told the committee that a new sasta bazar has been established in Chak Shehzad with 170 stalls functioning three days a week. It was told that ICT administration is also establishing seven additional sasta bazars in union councils to provide essential items at affordable prices. A sasta bazaar near Metro Cash and Carry with more than 900 stalls will be fully operationalised shortly. The ICT administration is developing a free home delivery online mobile app to provide essential items to the customers at their doorsteps at affordable prices.

Sindh government informed the committee that it developed performance management system for price control functions. All the district officers are required to update the actions taken by them into the system to control the prices in their areas.