SCA expresses concern on rising imports of edibles

Country's oil and food import bill jumped 73% from July to December 2021 compared to a year ago

HYDERABAD:

The Sindh Chamber of Agriculture (SCA) has expressed concern over rising imports of edible items including cooking oil.

The SCA general secretary, Zahid Bhurgari said that the hike in prices should have already set the alarm bells ringing because of the adverse impact of the costly imports on the country's economy.

According to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics data, the country's oil and food import bill jumped 73 per cent from July to December 2021 compared to a year ago. Pakistan had spent $8.67 billion on the said imports in 2020-21 against the ballooned expenditure of $14.97 billion in the first six months of the ongoing year. Bhurgari said the trade deficit has widened due to the sheer imbalance in the exports and imports. "The federal government and its anti-agriculture policies are responsible for this situation," he asserted.

The SCA's representative believed that the country's agriculture sector could save billions of dollars in annual imports if the government provided the necessary support. "But sadly, this government doesn't seem to have any interest in supporting the farmers and the agricultural economy."

He deplored that, on the one hand, the soaring rates of the agricultural inputs have inexplicably jacked up the cost of cultivation, and on the other hand, the farmers are not paid the right price for their crops. He said that 17 per cent of the total wheat requirement of Pakistan is met through imports, adding that the figure is shockingly high for an agricultural country. Bhugari observed that the imports are going up when Pakistan faces a shortage of foreign exchange reserves and the local currency is continually depreciating.

He bemoaned that the federal government would increase the wheat and sugar import this year instead of addressing this problem. The SCA demanded of the centre to cut the food imports and support the local farmers to meet the food requirements.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, February 24^th, 2022.