July 13, 2020

Pakistan's traders chamber calls for ban on poultry exports

Poultry exports in Pakistan should be banned, and smuggling should be stopped to stabilise prices in the market,Islamabad Chamber for Small Traders' (ICST) founder Shahid Rasheed Butt said on Wednesday,The News reported.

Poultry products have become more expensive in summer as compared to the last winter.

He noted that poultry lords have manipulated the market to bankrupt small poultry farmers and started looting masses. Eggs which were available at PKR80 and PKR90 per dozen in the last winter are now being sold for PKR130 to PKR150 per dozen while the chicken is being sold at PKR230 to PKR260 which was almost PKR110 few months back.

He said that inaction against wheat, sugar, pharma, IPP, LPG, petroleum and other mafia groups have emboldened the poultry mafia that has added to the problems of masses facing high inflation.

Other mafias have also initiated their activities as they are sure that they will evade any meaningful administrative and legal action which is evident from shortage of wheat, flour and tomatoes in different cities.

Similarly, Shahid Butt who is also former president of ICCI alleged that some FBR officials have started harassing people who declared their hidden assets in the tax amnesty scheme announced in 2018 which is a violation of Voluntary Declaration of Domestic Assets Act of 2018.

The government should step in immediately and restore order before further erosion of its credibility takes place, he demanded. He said that the move may not improve tax collection, but it will widen the gulf between taxpayers and tax collectors resulting in the failure of tax targets for the ongoing fiscal.