With the rising prices of essential commodities already straining household budgets, the availability of two key staples—ghee and cooking oil—is now at risk. If immediate corrective measures are not taken, these items are likely to become both scarcer and more expensive ahead of Ramadan.
Pakistan is bound to face ghee and edible oil shortage owing to the prolonged delays of shipments of edible oil at Port Qasim for over a week. Their clearance process seems to have grounded to a halt as no consignment has been cleared in the past week.
Speaking to Express News, Sheikh Omar Rehan, Chairman of the Pakistan Vanaspati Manufacturers Association, highlighted that the terminal lacks sufficient space to unload shipments.
He said that 8 to 10 vessels, carrying over 70,000 metric tons of palm oil, are queued up and cannot discharge their cargo. This backlog is causing fears of a shortage in the market.
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Moreover, the association reported that the delayed shipments are incurring heavy demurrages and fines, further worsening the financial burden on importers.
Due to the suspension of the customs software (PSW), the clearance process is getting hampered, leading to immense financial losses. If this continues, then in coming weeks, the country is going to face severe edible oil shortage.
