ECC bans onion export, procures 8.25 million tons of wheat

ISLAMABAD: Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the federal government has imposed a ban on export on onions till 30th May this year to keep the prices under control.

Prime Minister’s Adviser on Finance Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh chaired the meeting which approved the public sector procurement of 8.25 million tons of wheat at Rs1365 per 40 kg bag for the coming season.

It was decided that if the need arises then 0.5 million tons will be imported around the year to cater to any shortages. An Additional 100,000 tons of wheat allocated to KP, 50,000 additional to Sindh from Pakistan Agricultural Storage and Services Corporation (PASSCO) to cater to the scarcity in the provinces before the next crop was also approved.

The ECC allowed the Power Division for Gas Sales Agreement to be signed by Sui Northern Gas Pipelines on for 1263.2MW Re-Gasified Liquefied Natural Gas (RLNG) based power generation project near Trimmu Barrage. A technical Supplementary Grant worth Rs110 million was also approved in favour of Ministry of Planning and Development for Afghan projects.

The meeting also approved a supplementary grant of Rs5.9 million for capacity building of teachers training institutes and training of elementary teachers in former FATA, Gilgit-Baltistan, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, and Islamabad Capital Territory.

The ECC approved provision of over Rs636 million as Technical Supplementary Grant for National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) to cope with the locust threat all over the country.