President of Korangi Association of Trade & Industry (K.A.T.I) Sheikh Umer Rehan has sounded the alarm about a severe shortage of essential commodities, warning the country could face a severe ghee and cooking oil crisis if banks do not open letters of credit (LCs) for the import of necessities, reported 24NewsH DTV channel. 

In a statement on Wednesday, Sheikh Rehan said that banks are failing to clear the documents of goods offloaded at the port, raising concerns about a ghee and cooking oil crisis in the country in 20 to 30 days.

While raising his concerns, he stated that the situation is posing a threat but the government is not paying any heed to the issue. 

He highlighted that while we consume 4 million tonnes per annum, there are only 400,000 tonnes produced locally.

He urged the Prime Minister and the Finance Minister to take immediate action in order to avert the crisis because the consumption of cooking oil would increase as the holy month of Ramazan is approaching.

Reporter: Habib Khan