Pulse crisis looms as imports stuck at port

Ghee and oil ships are also stranded at ports

KARACHI:

Six thousand containers of pulses have been stuck at the ports due to shortage of dollars in the country.

Shipping companies have collected $48 million in detention charges from importers on these stranded containers. If these containers are not released, a new crisis will arise in the supply and prices of pulses in the month of Ramazan.

These apprehensions were shared by Chairman of Karachi Wholesale Groceries Association Abdul Rauf Ibrahim while addressing a press conference along with Vice President of Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry Haris Agar and others.

He said there is a fear of damage to the pulses due to the containers being stopped for a long period at the port, while the burden of demurrage charges is also increasing.

He said that the value of pulses reaching the country is 1.5 billion dollars.

Rauf Ibrahim suggested to the government that after releasing the consignments of pulses arriving in the country, they should impose restrictions on all types of imports including pulses in the national interest and suspend the import permits of pulses.

KCCI’s Haris Agar said that due to non-availability of dollars, ghee and oil ships are also stuck at the ports. He said that State Bank has not put pulses in the priority list. If the goods stuck at the ports are not cleared, there will be a crisis of pulses, ghee and oil in Sindh and a sharp increase in prices.

He said that 80% of pulses, including lentils, black gram, are imported in the country.