ISLAMABAD, Aug 3: Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz said on Wednesday the government was giving Rs4 billion subsidy on import of 250,000 tons of urea to facilitate the farmers. The prime minister stated this in a meeting with Commerce Minister Humayun Akhtar Khan and Food, Agriculture and Livestock Minister Sikandar Hayat Bosan who called on him at the prime minister secretariat.

An official announcement said that the prime minister said that the import of urea would help the farmers to increase their agri-production during the current fiscal year. The premier also alluded to various concessions in the sales and other taxes being given to the agriculture sector to enhance productivity. Mr Aziz said that the Utility Stores were selling flour at Rs11.50 per kg and maintained that people were being benefited from this facility. Regarding sugar prices, the prime minister said the decision taken by the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the federal cabinet of allowing its import from India would help improve the situation further in due course of time.

The commerce minister apprised the prime minister of the efforts initiated and undertaken by his ministry to achieve the $17 billion export target set by the government this year. He said that emphasis was being laid in forging closer co-operation with the private sector in this connection.

The agriculture minister informed the prime minister that the Trading Corporation of Pakistan had sold a big quantity of the procured cotton to the industry and this interaction had helped both the farmers and industry. He assured the premier that the availability of wheat was satisfactory and with the import of wheat flour the prices were expected to be stabilized further.