ISLAMABAD, Jun 23 (APP):In a bid to devise a transparent, simple and workable mechanism for disbursement of subsidy on fertilizers, the National Assembly Special Committee on Agricultural Products steered comprehensive deliberations with the provinces and federation.
Speaker National Assembly Asad Qaiser stressed that time was of the essence and any delay in devising transparent mechanism may adversely affect the farmers and agro-productivity.
He urged the provincial governments to jointly discuss the mechanism followed by meetings with the Ministry of National Food Security and Research, and fertilizers manufacturers, dealers and importers and the National Assembly Special Committee.
He added that final report should be submitted to the committee within 48 hours. The Speaker National Assembly Asad Qaiser presided the meeting held at Parliament House here.
The committee also unanimously passed a resolution to exempt cotton seed oil cake from 5% sales tax and emphatically stressed that decision of the ECC in this regard should be implemented in letter and spirit.
Minister for Foreign Affairs Shah Mehmood Qureshi stressed that mechanism for subsidy disbursement should be simple and transparent enough so that the subsidy reached the farmers in real spirit.
He added that timely decision was vital to improve the agro-productivity.
The provincial agriculture ministers and official briefed the committee on their respective proposals for disbursement of subsidy.
The Minister for Agriculture Punjab highlighted that scratch card system introduced in Punjab was a highly transparent system, however, the lack of timely availability of funds dented the credibility of the entire system.
It was highlighted that almost five million farmers were registered in the digital system prepared by Government of Punjab. It was added that anomalies could be removed through timely provision of funds for the reimbursement via scratch cards. Other provinces stated that the system was not viable according to their contexts.
Syed Naveed Qamar and the officials of agriculture department of Sindh proposed that the implementation of scratch system was difficult to implement and urged the need for transfer of subsidy through reduction in the price of fertilizer per bag.
However, the fertilizers importers and manufacturers submitted that the subsidy should not be disbursed through them as their previous such experience wasn’t quite fruitful. They highlighted that their position was based on the procedural delays and credibility gaps on part of the government.
The speaker urged all the stakeholders to comprehensively deliberate the issue and submit a report to the Special Committee on Agricultural Products for a final decision and consensus building.
The meeting was attended by Federal Minister for National Food Security and Research Fakhar Imam, Minister for Foreign Affairs Makhdoom Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Federal Minister for Aviation, Agriculture Minister Punjab, Agriculture Minister, KP, MNA Nawab Muhammad Yusuf Talpur, MNA Syed Naveed Qamar, MNA Makhdoom Zain Qureshi, MNA Ehsan Ullah Tiwana, MNA Rao Muhammad Ajmal, MNA Rai Muhammad Murtaza Iqbal, MNA Nafeesa Inayat Ullah Khan Khattak, MNA Khalid Magsi and MNA Shandana Gulzar Khan.