-Announces subsidies on Sugar, Flour
-Says Kamyab Pakistan Program to be launched this month
-Adds farmers should get international profit rates for crop
By Asghar Ali Mubarak
ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue, Shaukat Tarin said Tuesday that the country’s net public debt was on declining trend and reduced to 81.8 percent of debt-to-GDP ratio during the fiscal year 2020-21, expecting that it would come further down during the current fiscal year.
Addressing a press conference here the minister said that net debt was recorded at 86.8 percent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) during fiscal year 2019 whereas it stood at 85.7 percent of GDP during FY2020, which indicated that it was on declining trend during the last three years of the incumbent government.
The minister, who was accompanied by Minister of State for Information Farrukh Habib and Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Food Security, Jamshed Cheema, however said that the debt was recorded at 74.1 percent of GDP during the fiscal year 2018.
Explaining some underlining reasons for increase in public debt, the minister said that when Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf assumed power in 2018, it had to go to International Monetary Fund (IMF) programme, which he said led to devaluation of rupee from 104 to 167and increase in discount rate to 13.25. Hence, this enhanced debt servicing form Rs 1500 billion to Rs 2900 billion instantly, which enhanced the public debt, the minister added.
Giving absolute figures of net debt during the last four years, the minister said that currently the country’s net debt stood at Rs39 trillion compared to the net debt of Rs35.6 trillion in Fy2020, Rs33 trillion during FY2019 and Rs25.7 trillion during FY2018. The minister said that there has been gradual increase in foreign exchange reserves held by the State Bank of Pakistan.
Briefing about inflation, the minister said the government had tried its best not to pass on international prices impact on people, saying that the prices of various commodities were still low as compared to international and regional markets. For example, sugar prices increased by 48 percent in international market but the government enhanced it only by 12 percent. Palm oil increased by 50 percent, but it went up on by 33 percent, wheat prices increased by 32 percent in one year and here it enhance only by 15 percent, prices of crude oil increased by 58 percent (from $44 to $70 per dollar) and in Pakistan it increased by only 9.39 per cent.
The minister said that increase in prices was an international issue right now. He said that in Pakistan, the Consumer price index (CPI) based inflation stood at 4.8 percent in 2018, which went up to 6.8 per cent in 2019 and then 10.74 percent in 2020 and reduced to 8.9 in 2021 and now it would remain at 8 percent during the current fiscal year.
The minister said that the prices of various essential commodities has considerably increased in international market, citing that sugar was sold at $303 per ton in 2018 now it is sold at $430 per ton. Likewise, wheat was sold at $188 per ton in 2018 now it is sold at $274 per ton while soyabean was at $775 per ton in 2018 and now it is sold at $1436 per ton, indicating a big jump. The palm oil prices increased from $621 per ton to $1136 per ton.
The increase in international prices during the past couple of years was due to low food production and high demand owing to covid-19 and supply chain disruption. He said, in Pakistan, food inflation in July 2020 was 15.1 percent (Urban), 17.8 percent (Rural) now reduced to 10.2 percent (urban) and rural 9.1 (rural), showing around 5 percent decline in urban inflation and 7 percent in rural. The minister, however was of the view that Pakistan was linked to international market as it had to import, wheat, sugar, pulses, ghee, hence, the prices impact the local market.
He said that there was need to enhance production, which he said was strategy of the government as it had already earmarked hefty amount for this purpose. In addition, he added, the government would make scientific engineering process to analyze profits in the supply chain and squeeze role of middleman administratively.
In addition, he said, the government was also building strategic reserves to flood markets at time of need.
In medium and long term, the government would build commodity warehouses, cold-storages so that farmers and purchasers are linked directly without involving middleman. The minister said that the government also intended to provide targeted cash subsidy to around 40 percent of the poor population to buy essential items, adding that the subsidies would be provided for purchasing flour, sugar and pulses and data of Ehsaas would be utilized for this purpose to target deserving population .
He said that government also intended to increase income and affordability of people to buy commodities, adding that the growth strategy introduced by the government was bearing fruit, adding that according to some observers, the economy was growing by around 6 percent.
He said that Kamyab Pakistan Programme would also be launched this month with bottom approach to help low income people. He also termed then Sehat Card as a big initiative of PTI. The minister while talking about State Owned Entities (SOEs) said these were earning net profit of around 204 billion which declined to net loss of Rs286 loss in 2018. During 2019, the first year of PTI government, the loss reduced to Rs143 billion.
The minister said that around ten top loss-making enterprises account for 89 percent of the aggregate losses and therefore attention was focused on these SoEs including PIA, Pakistan Railways, Pakistan Steel Mills, Discos and ZTBL. He said that a board was being established in Privatization Commission to turn around these 10 SOEs.
The board would be independent having world class professionals to stabilize these entities. Speaking on the occasion, Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Food Security, Jamshed Cheema said that government would provide cash subsidy to low income people to buy essential food products.
