Islamabad, September 01, 2022 (PPI-OT):Finance Minister Miftah Ismael says federal government is disbursing cash worth 25 thousand rupees to each women head of a household in flood affected areas. In an interview with BBC, he said 4.2 million will receive this cash assistance. Moreover, National Disaster Management Authority and provincial disaster management authorities are distributing ration packets, tents, medicines and mosquito nets among flood affected people.
To a question, the Minister said government has taken off import duties from onion and tomatoes to address the issue of their shortage. He said due to recent import of a million ton there is no shortage of wheat expected. He said eight hundred thousand tons of more wheat will also be imported.
Responding to another question, Miftah Ismael said Pakistan has lost thirty percent of its cotton crop in the flood. He said although it is a challenging situation but government will import cotton also to fulfil the needs of textile industry. Commenting on the loss of sugarcane, he said about ten percent of Pakistan’s sugarcane has been destroyed. He said Pakistan has excess production of sugar this year and there will be no shortage.
The Minister said government is planning to compensate the farmers for the loss of their crops. He said draining out the water is an important task for provincial governments. He said Pakistan faced a damage of ten billion dollars in deadly floods. He expressed hope that Pakistan’s foreign partners and international community will donate in this hour of need to handle the flood crisis.
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