The government has directed the Competition Commission of Pakistan (CCP) to investigate the allegations of cartelisation in the cooking oil and ghee industry on a fast track.

The National Price Monitoring Committee (NPMC), in a recent meeting, directed the CCP to submit its preliminary findings in the next meeting. The committee said that it had noticed that health issues were increasing due to the substandard quality of cooking oil and ghee. Furthermore, it stated that the issue may be taken up seriously by the relevant ministries and provincial departments.

The price control committee also reviewed the cooking oil price trend in compliance with the Economic Coordination Committee’s (ECC) decision taken on July 25, 2025.

The CCP informed meeting participants that an investigation into alleged cartelisation in the palm oil and ghee sector had been initiated in November 2025. The CCP was in the process of collecting requisite information and would complete its preliminary report in a couple of months.

The committee decided that the Ministry of Industries and Production, in collaboration with the Ministry of Science and Technology (Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority), should coordinate with the provincial governments (food control authorities/ departments) to ensure compliance with prescribed standards for the vegetable oil and ghee supplied domestically and submit a report to the NPMC in the next meeting.

The committee agreed that the Ministry of National Food Security and Research and the food and agriculture section of the Ministry of Planning, Development and Special Initiatives, under the supervision of the consultant food and agriculture, may prepare a policy paper for the potential agri-products, such as tea, edible oil, processed products, pulses, juices, etc, which could be incentivised to reduce Pakistan’s import bill and save foreign exchange. Additionally, it may include the impact of general sales tax on processed food that was impeding the development of value-added markets.

The committee said that the presentation to be made by the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) administration was deferred and the chair had given the directive that the ICT chief commissioner would give a detailed briefing on the movement of commodity prices and the administrative measures planned for Ramazan in the next meeting.

The NPMC decided that the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) would prepare a weekly/monthly report on the ranking of districts in terms of price control and share it with the concerned ministry and provincial governments to enable them to effectively control price movements.

The chief statistician presented an analysis covering the inflation trends, impact of recent floods on food prices, wholesale-retail price differentials and national and international trends for cooking oil prices. He informed the meeting that prices of key commodities such as wheat, chicken, potatoes, onions, tomatoes and eggs were reviewed, with a particular focus on comparing the current rates with pre-flood levels.

The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) presented a comprehensive report on loan disbursements to farmers for the sowing of Rabi crops in flood-affected areas, along with district-wise details. Meeting participants expressed the desire that the SBP may also provide a complete disaggregated breakdown of farm and non-farm credit and the types of credit disbursed under those categories, so that the NPMC may have a clearer picture of the effective utilisation of agri-credit.

The committee emphasised the need for stronger coordination between the provincial governments and the Ministry of National Food Security to accurately assess the situation. It was emphasised that the demand and supply of essential food items, especially ahead of Ramazan and festive seasons, be evaluated for their uninterrupted supply at stable prices. The food ministry apprised the meeting of consultations held with the Ministry of Industries and the provincial governments, and identified the measures to be taken before and during Ramazan to provide essential food items at stable prices.

The provincial departments added that they had asked the district administrations to take all possible measures to ensure the supply of essential food items during Ramazan. In that regard, the Sasta Ramazan Bazaar will also be organised.