WATCH: Minister urges masses to reduce tea intake to curtail import bill

Federal Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal has urged the masses to reduce tea consumption, saying that the move will help the government in curtailing the import bill.

“I appeal to the nation to reduce tea intake by one or two cups daily because we borrow money for tea import as well," he said while speaking to the media in Islamabad on Tuesday.

The minister also asked the traders and the nation to support the government’s efforts to lift the country out of economic crisis and appealed to the business community to shut markets by 8.30pm to save electricity.

The federal cabinet last month banned the import of around 41 items for two months to forestall a looming default but the measure appears to be too little, as it would contain the import bill by hardly $600 million or less than 5% of projected imports.

The decision hit the imports of cars, mobile phones, cosmetics, cigarettes, food products, certain garments and toiletries.

Also read: Pakistan budget needs additional measures to meet goals: IMF

Iqbal, while accusing the former rulers of destroying the economy said ex-prime minister Imran Khan and his party members have confessed to their “crimes” by saying that PML-N was trapped by coming into power.

He said they came to power to save the country and expressed the hope that the economy will be stabilised in the next few months.

Iqbal also said they were giving special emphasis to the agriculture sector and have given incentives to the farmers to bolster the production of wheat, sugar and cotton. He said enhancing the production of palm oil will also help the country save foreign exchange reserves.

The previous PTI government had signed an anti-people agreement with the IMF, he added.