ISLAMABAD: Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiative Asad Umar has said the government was considering to remove the Gas Infrastructure Development Cess (GIDC) for the future to bring down the fertilizer prices.
Speaking in a meeting, Asad Umar said that direct subsidy to the farmers would be more cost-effective for the government and more beneficial to the farmers.
In the meeting with representatives of the fertilizer industry, the minister discussed matters related to the fertilizer supplies and pricing. He was accompanied by Minster for National Food Security and Research Makhdoom Khusro Bakhtiar, Adviser for Commerce, Textile, Industry and Production and Investment Abdul Razak Dawood and Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Petroleum Nadeem Babar.
The meeting considered various ways and means to ensure sufficient supplies of the commodities while making the prices of the fertilizer affordable for the farmers.
Asad Umar said that while the government is providing huge subsidies to keep the fertilizers affordable for the farmers, it seems that the mechanism of the subsidy needs more thinking.
Asad Umar said that the government believes in deregulation of various sectors of the economy. In this regard, he also solicited proposals from the representatives of the fertilizer industry for deregulation of the fertilizer sector.
The representatives of the fertilizer industry briefed the ministers on the capacity and potential of their units and the issues faced by them. They assured that they would deliberate and present their proposals to the government within two weeks.
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