ISLAMABAD: The Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the cabinet will consider imposing a ban on export of tomatoes and onion to help bring down their prices despite opposition from growers and vegetable and fruit exporters.

To be presided over by Finance Minister Shaukat Tarin, the ECC will also take up certain changes to the national remittance loyalty programme and exemption of taxes and duties on Covid-19 Rapid Diagnostic Tests Local Manufacturing and Assembling facility.

The ministry of finance on Wednesday said a meeting presided over by Mr Tarin had ordered the ministry of commerce to present a well-rounded proposal before the upcoming ECC meeting, related to the export of onions. The meeting was told that over all, the prices of tomatoes and onions witnessed a downward trend during the week. The sources said the ban on export of two produces would be imposed for three months — their peak harvest season.

The ECC is also expected to finalise wheat requirement for the Utility Stores Corporation for 2021 on the recommendations of the ministry of national food security and research and review a report of the Cotton Price Review Committee for August and September this year.

Provision of wheat to Azad Jammu and Kashmir for the year and approval of revised budgets of the Employees Oldage Benefits Institution for FY2019-20 and FY2020-21 are also on the agenda of the ECC meeting.

On top of that, a standard security agreement for small hydropower projects under the power generation policy, 2015, is also expected to be approved by the ECC.

Mr Tarin had also asked the ministries of commerce and national food security a couple of weeks ago to come up with a summary to impose the ban after consultation with key stakeholders to arrest increase in the prices of tomatoes and onion.

Interestingly, there is no official ban at present on perishable items, exports of onion had not been seen over the recent weeks and in fact imports of onions and tomatoes were coming from Afghanistan. Yet the prices of both commodities currently hover at Rs70-80 per kg in the market.

On the other hand, media reports suggest that fruit and vegetable growers and traders had opposed the export ban to allow farmers to get a reasonable price of their produce.

Published in Dawn, October 7th, 2021