Multan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI) has issued a foreboding statement related to the soybeans stuck at Karachi port, unavailable for the production of eggs and chicken. MCCI has urged the government to release soybeans as soon as possible to prevent a shortage of supply of feed used in the production of broiler chicken. Otherwise, the country is looking into a crisis of food insecurity. President MCCI, Mian Rashid Iqbal, during a meeting with other notables of the Multan industry, discussed the issue of soybean shortage.

He said that if soybean was not released from the port in time, it will cause a massive shutdown of poultry farms across the country. He added, “millions of poultry units will die, and millions of people employed in the industry will go jobless.” Executive Member of the Solvent Extractor Association, Bakhtawar Sheikh Tanvir, said that soybean was not released from the Karachi port because of a conspiracy. He said that the total worth of soybean stuck in Karachi port was around PKR 22 billion.

He lamented the lack of concern by the port authorities over the depreciation of the quality of soybean because of lying around under the open sky. He said that if soybeans were not released in time, it will affect the industries of poultry, fish and solvents, adding that the inflation situation in the country will worsen because of a decrease in supply of essential edible items. President MCCI demanded that Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif issue an immediate order to release soybean seed from Karachi Port. He said that the economy was already suffering and the non-clearance of soybeans would make it worse.

Credit : Independent News Pakistan-WealthPk