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ISLAMABAD, Jan 30 (APP):The Standing Committee on National Food Security and Research held its eleventh meeting on Thursday under the Chairmanship of Syed Tariq Hussain, MNA.
The Committee reviewed “The Pakistan Animal Science Council Bill, 2024”.The Ministry informed the Committee that they had not conducted consultative meetings with all relevant stakeholders, including the Ministry of Law and Justice, as previously advised.
This delay was met with displeasure by the Committee, which directed the Ministry to ensure compliance by the next meeting.
The Committee also sought an update, following discussions with the Law and Justice Ministry whether the Bill is included in the Federal Legislative List, as per Article 144 of the Constitution. Additionally, the Ministry was asked to clarify whether a Private Member Bill requires approval from the Federal Cabinet. The Additional Secretary-I of the Ministry of National Food Security and Research was assigned the responsibility of investigating the matter and submitting a report within 15 days.
Another key topic of discussion was the decline of the cotton sector in Pakistan. The Committee reviewed the response from the Federal Bureau of Revenue (FBR) regarding the uniformity of taxes in the cotton sector, which was deemed unsatisfactory.
The Committee appreciated APTMA for restarting the payment of CESS after a decade, a move that had been facilitated by the Committee and acknowledged by the Pakistan Central Cotton Committee (PCCC).
The Committee requested APTMA to provide a clear timeline for the payment of the CESS arrears and directed FBR to submit detailed reports on several aspects of the cotton sector.
These include the sales tax collected and refunded in the cotton sector over the last five years, cotton import and export data over the same period, potential revenue losses due to the current tax system, financial and economic analysis of the sector, and updates on the implementation of the track and trace and RFID systems for controlling production hides. FBR was further instructed to consult with the Ministry of Commerce and engage with the IMF if current tax policies are not yielding positive results.
The Power Division gave an update on initiatives to ease the burden of high electricity costs on farmers, noting that a special committee, led by the Deputy Prime Minister, has canceled contracts with five Independent Power Producers (IPPs) and is set to implement additional reforms.
However, the Committee expressed dissatisfaction with the response and questioned why farmers continue to face higher charges compared to their counterparts in other countries that offer subsidies. The Committee recommended that the Ministry present proposals on how the agricultural sector could benefit in the short term.
Additionally, the Ministry was instructed to provide details on the overbilling criteria, the redressal mechanism, and the actions taken against those responsible for overbilling.
The Committee further directed that all CEOs of DISCOs attend the next meeting via Zoom to discuss the overbilling issue in detail.
The meeting was attended by the following Hon. Members of the Standing Committee: Rasheed Ahmad Khan, MNA, Rana Muhammad Hayat Khan, MNA,Waseem Qadir, MNA, Nadeem Abbas, MNA, Syed Javed Ali Shah Jillani, MNA, Zulfiqar Ali Behan, MNA, Usama Hamza, MNA, Muhammad Ameer Sultan, MNA, Faisal Amin Khan, MNA (on Zoom), and Mr. Keso Mal Kheal Das, MNA.
Senior officers and representatives from the Ministry of National Food Security and Research, Ministry of Energy, the Federal Bureau of Revenue (FBR), the Pakistan Textile Mills Association (APTMA), Pakistan Cotton Ginners’ Association (PCGA), Pakistan Central Cotton Committee (PCCC), Pakistan Kissan Itehad, the Pakistan Agriculture Research Council, and other related departments also attended the meeting.