Vegetable import from India allowed

Import of vegetables, including green chilli, capsicum, cabbage, ginger and carrot allowed through the Wagah border.

ISLAMABAD: The government has allowed the land import of vegetables from India, amongst other countries, to curb any possible rise in prices of vegetables in the country.

The decision was invoked through a notification issued by the ministry of commerce which amended the import policy order of 2009.

The import of various vegetables, including green chilli, capsicum, cabbage, cauliflower, ginger and carrot has been allowed through the Wagah border.

A senior official of the ministry said that the floods resulted in a substantial amount of land being submerged and the destruction of thousands of acres of standing crop.

It was feared that prices of these crops would rise due to the curtailment of supply and as a result the government has allowed the import of these necessary food items, he said.

This will prevent a shortage of vegetables and curb possible rises in inflation, he added.

He admitted that the country will lose foreign exchange on the import of vegetables but consumer woes took preference over that.

Payments for these imports will be made in line with procedures, including those for the acquisition of letters of credit from specified banks, laid down by the State Bank of Pakistan.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 11^th, 2010.