Given the shortage of palm oil from Indonesia and the expected shortage of edible oil in the country, a working group formed by the Ministry of Commerce has started to analyze options to avoid the shortage of widely consumed food.

According to officials, a meeting of the recently formed working group on palm oil supply was held on Saturday.

While chairing the meeting, Syed Naveed Qamar, Federal Minister of Trade, informed that the Prime Minister of Pakistan had constituted the task force to ensure that there are no disruptions in the supply of palm oil in the local market.

He further informed that the supply of palm oil from Indonesia has been temporarily interrupted due to domestic issues. However, he was reassured by his Indonesian counterpart that the supply will resume by the third week of May.

During the meeting, the official statement issued by the ministry informed the participants that the issue was being discussed at the highest level and the Ministry of Industry and Production and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs were also on board to resolve the problem. Diplomatic and commercial channels are used to reverse the unilateral decision of the Indonesian side.

The Senior Vice President of the Pakistan Vanaspati Manufacturers Association has informed the Federal Trade Minister that at the current level of stocks, market demand could be met for another two months. He further informed that more oil will be imported from Malaysia and other options will also be explored, and that hoarding and smuggling of edible oil will not be allowed between members.

The Federal Minister of Trade urged participants to work together to avoid an increase in the price of edible oil and assured that the government was working to find a short and long-term solution to the problem posed by import dependence of Indonesian palm oil.

The meeting was also attended by the Minister of the Ministry of Industry and Production, the Additional Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade and investment officers stationed in Indonesia and Malaysia as well as businessmen. leading business.

Earlier, the Federal Trade Minister was also briefed on the activities and functioning of the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP). It was informed that the TDAP, as a leading trade promotion organization, has a dual task of trade promotion and trade facilitation.

It was informed that the trade promotion activities of TDAP include local exhibitions, participation in international exhibitions, delegations and promotion of Pakistani goods and services abroad through various other media including tools digital and online and product promotion campaigns.

He was further informed that the TDAP carried out various activities within the framework of trade facilitation, including the registration of geographical indications of indigenous products, the GSP and REX registration of exporters, the training of new exporters and the management of the exhibition center in Karachi and Hyderabad. The Minister appreciated the efforts of TDAP in promoting Pakistani goods and services to the world.