ISLAMABAD, July 27: Adviser to the Prime Minister on Finance Dr Salman Shah here on Wednesday asked the Ministry of Food Agriculture and Livestock (Minfal) to explore the possibility of setting up a joint quarantine station at Indo-Pak border at Lahore and review the fee and tax structure on the import of livestock and meat.

He was reviewing the demand and supply situation of essential food items including wheat, meat, sugar and import of live animals while chairing a meeting with the leading importers of essential commodities, Anjuman-e-Qureshian and senior officials of quarantine departments from Punjab and Sindh. He also reviewed the procedure of quarantine certification of livestock, meat and wheat.

After due consideration of various suggestions put forward by quarantine officials, Minfal and the business leaders, it was decided that the period of keeping livestock at the quarantine stations in Pakistan would be minimized. At present, animals are kept for an inordinately long time for quarantine certification owing to which animals lost weight and a good number of them also died there.

The quarantine certification in respect of livestock by the country of origin would be accepted in Pakistan and the customs authorities would clear the animals expeditiously, the meeting decided. Dr Salman asked the Animal Husbandry Department to review the list of animal diseases for which the country of origin would issue quarantine certification.

He further directed to ensure that the animals did not possess any disease, which transmitted to human beings. Secretary Statistics Division Asad Elahi, Economic Adviser Dr Ashfaq Hasan Khan and senior officials from Minfal also participated in the meeting.

The delegation of importers led by Raees Tarmohammad, president Importers Association of Essential Commodities, pointed out various impediments and delays in quarantine certification of animals, meat and wheat.

The animals, they complained, were being kept in quarantine stations at Pakistan side for an inordinately long period for the purpose of their health certification and vaccination. During this period, the animals not only lost weight but also in some cases died due to non-availability of food and water.

They also complained that in case of wheat import, two officials from Minfal went to inspect certification procedure to the country of origin at the expense of importers.

After due consideration of various suggestions put forward by quarantine officials, Minfal and the business leaders, it was decided that the quarantine certification in respect of livestock by the country of origin would be accepted in Pakistan and the customs authorities would clear the animals expeditiously.

The deployment of two technical officials of Minfal for inspection of wheat certification at the country of origin would be optional in future, it was decided.

In order to curb the tendency of hoarding wheat flour by flour mills, it was decided that Central Board of Revenue (CBR) would issue the necessary SRO facilitating the import of wheat flour by the private importers.