Dar directs necessary measures for bringing back prices of potatoes

ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Finance Senator Ishaq Dar said on Monday that the government is very serious on keeping the prices of the essential commodities at appropriate level and it will take all necessary steps to devise expeditious mechanism to bring down the prices.

He stated this while chairing a meeting at the Finance Ministry here which reviewed agricultural products prices in the country and took cognizance of the manipulated prices of potato at Rs. 50 per kilogram in the local market.

In his 2nd meeting in the last three days over the prices of the agricultural products the Finance Minister was informed through an in depth briefing by the concerned officials about the production supply consumption and storage chain of the Potato.

He was informed that there is almost 1.1 million tons of surplus potatoes in the country and the prices of potato are being artificially manipulated at a much higher level by the hoarders speculators and middlemen.

He was informed that in a neighboring country potato is being sold at much less price.

The Finance Minister decided that if the prices of the potato are not brought to the normal level within a time span of three days (72 hours) then all the taxes and levies on the import of the potatoes will be lifted to bring the prices to a level less than Rs. 30 per kilogram.