A meeting earlier announced in Karachi for Tuesday was cancelled and its one point agenda of commissioning of crushing season 2004-05 in Sindh assigned to the ECC.
Sources told Business Recorder that the government was very serious on the issue of crushing season and wanted to decide it at the highest forum of the ECC.
It may be noted that sugar millers have agreed with the government to start crushing season in Punjab and NWFP from November 1, but they are reluctant to meet the Sindh government demand of start of crushing season from 1st October.
The committee is also expected to take a decision on release of buffer stocks of sugar purchased from the millers by the Trading Corporation of Pakistan (TCP) to the open market ahead of start of holy month of Ramazan.
Other items of the ECC agenda include review of sensitive price indicator (SPI) for the week ended September 16, review of wheat stocks and its prices, data on economic indicators and import of 100,000 tons of urea fertiliser.
The increase in onions and potatoes prices is also on the agenda of the ECC. The ministry of Food and Agriculture has referred the summary demanding reasonable increase in onion and potato support price.
The prices of these two items are on the rise for the last many months and the government wants to increase their production by encouraging farmers to opt for these cash crops, in order to stabilise prices in the open market.
The ECC meeting will also take up request of Food Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of United Nations for transportation of 375 metric tons of urea to Afghanistan.
Sources said that the ECC would examine the summary moved by Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Livestock on the issue.
The ECC meeting held on August 9, 2004, considered the summary of Ministry of Industries and Production and directed ban on the export of urea.
A limited quantity of the export was earlier on, allowed as an arrangement on government to government basis to Afghanistan through Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Afghan Trade Cell), Islamabad.
The FAO has approached Minfal for NOC to transport 375 metric tons of urea purchased by them in year 2001, lying in the warehouse at Peshawar for transportation to Afghanistan.
The FAO has provided copies of commercial invoice and tests results of April 2004, relating to the efficacy of the urea stored since 2001.
Sources said that since the urea is from the FAO's own stocks and will have no impact on the manufacture or the dealers inventory, the Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Livestock has requested ECC to approve issuance of the NOC.
The Ministry of Industries and Production, Central Board of Revenue and Ministry of Commerce have also supported the proposal.
Moreover, a proposal of the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Resources for allocation of 50 MMCFD of Kandhkot gas to SNGPL will also come under consideration in the meeting.