Says govt to ensure food security in country
Prime Minister Imran Khan said on Friday the incumbent government’s last three years are an “economic success story.”
Chairing a meeting of the Macro Economic Advisory Group here, the prime minister said the national economy kept growing steadily due to the government’s policies of smart lockdown, incentives for the construction industry, social protection programmes, as well as subsidies for industries, small and medium enterprises.
Khan lamented the government inherited a huge circular debt, anti-export policies, unsustainable fiscal conditions, less competitive business environment and policies of lack of incentives for the private sector.
Despite the worst balance of payment crisis in Pakistan’s history in 2018, economic hardships due to the pandemic, high commodity prices in the global market and humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan, he said growth rate is still expected to be above four per cent, which is a huge achievement.
The prime minister instructed the authorities concerned to coordinate and implement long and short plans for further betterment of macro-economic conditions, as well as living conditions of people.
The meeting was briefed on the overall economic situation of the country, the government’s steps to mitigate the effects of high food prices on common man and its achievements in the last three years.
Meanwhile, The Prime Minister, chairing a meeting regarding demand and supply of fertilizer, Imran Khan said the government was focused on supply of suitable amount of fertilizer for maximum production of wheat to ensure food security in the country.
He said 25,000 tonnes of urea was produced in Pakistan every day, which was enough to meet needs of the agriculture sector. He warned that those who were creating artificial shortage of urea would be dealt with iron hands.
He noted that record bumper crops of wheat, sugarcane, cotton and maize were produced in the country last year.
Due to agriculture friendly policies of the government during the year 2020-2021, the farmers earned additional income of Rs 822 billion, he added.
The farmers increased the purchase of urea due to the income earned by them, he observed. He said the availability of urea for farmers especially during the next three weeks was very important to achieve bumper crop of wheat.
He directed the relevant officials to take all possible steps to put in place an effective supply chain of urea for the Rabi crops.
He instructed the provincial chief secretaries to take effective steps to stop hoarding and smuggling of fertilizer, through the district administration and end purchase of fertilizer through the middlemen outside of the normal supply chain.
Imran directed the officials to work together with all stakeholders including manufacturers of fertilizer so that supply of urea could be ensured to the farmers for a bumper crop of wheat this year.
