HCCI President Urges For Releasing Soybean Oilseed From Port

The President Hyderabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (HCCI) Adeel Ahmed Siddiqui has urged the authority concerned to issue orders for early clearance of soybean oilseed from the port so that the industry and poultry sector could be able to meet the demand

HYDERABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 26th Nov, 2022 ) :The President Hyderabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (HCCI) Adeel Ahmed Siddiqui has urged the authority concerned to issue orders for early clearance of soybean oilseed from the port so that the industry and poultry sector could be able to meet the demand.

He expressed fear that this clearance was facing delay following concerns by the customs department that the oilseed had a genetically modified object (GMO). He said that the delay would have serious implications for the economy adding that the solvent industry was dependent on oilseed import for production of edible oil.

Besides, he said, soybean oilseed was also used as meals for feed of cattle and poultry industry. He said that ever since the oil industry was established, it regularly imported oilseed from abroad.

He said that the middle and lower middle-class population of the country used chicken meat to meet dietary requirements, adding that chicken was highly used in weddings across Pakistan.

The HCCI president maintained that due to shortage of poultry, this sector's economy was being undermined.

He said that in the next few days, it could lead to a crisis and the cost of poultry feed's bag had been increased by Rs 1000.

He said that there was no alternative to poultry feed. He said that this issue would also have a serious effect on per liter milk rate. He added that ships had brought consignment of 300,000 tons of soybean oilseed which was facing contamination at the port for various factors because custom intelligence feared that the oilseed has GMO thus it was not cleared.

He said that three million tons of soybean seed was imported in 2021-22 as the developed world had revolutionized the agriculture sector through GMO.

He said that developed countries had increased per acre productivity by ten times. He said that if this soybean had an element of GMO then it was meant for production of edible oil alone.

He appealed to the prime minister and the ministers concerned to take notice of this issue and issue directives for clearance of soybean oilseed from the port.