21/02/2012 (Daily Times) - Cooking oil and ghee industry is unable to manufacture its commodities as the entire industry is shutting down with immediate effect.

The shortage of this basic food item will hurt the supply to major markets besides retail outlets of the country.

The outcome of the closure would appear in two to three days and this closure will also endanger 48,000 households of the employees and cause loss to national exchequer to the tune of Rs 200 million daily.

Prices of vegetable ghee and cooking oil are expected to rise after closure of ghee and cooking oil mills across the country.

According to Pakistan Vanaspati Manufacturing Association (PVMA), the gates of all the ghee and cooking oil mills have already been closed from Saturday (February 18) and the strike would continue until the government gives an assurance of providing security to the safe transportation of edible oil consignments from Karachi to other destinations.

Due to the total closure of ghee and cooking oil units across the country, there would be a huge shortage of ghee and cooking oil.

The daily consumption of ghee and cooking is 6,000 metric tonnes and the closure of the industry would result in shortage of these items in the next few days.

The imported consignments of edible oil were cleared from Port Qasim and loaded on to the NLC containers for transportation to the ghee and cooking oil mills.

The incident has also shown helplessness of the ghee and cooking oil mills at the hands of transport mafia, which has deliberately burnt the oil tankers causing loss to the concerned industry.

The government should take the notice of the situation as around 96 manufacturing units in the country have suspended their manufacturing activities, said PVMA Chairman Abdul Waheed.

He said the edible oil and ghee-manufacturing units were free to hire any transportation company or oil tankers’ service for the supply of palm oil from the port.

Meanwhile the supply of both commodities in the wholesale market in the country has been affected as usually the main wholesale centres keep stocks for a week till fresh delivery arrives.

The suspension of manufacturing activities at the ghee and oil industries would create shortage of these commodities.

He appealed to the government to take notice of the torching incidents of edible oil tankers and ensure security to transporting the palm oil to the manufacturing units.