The government of Pakistan has asked its citizens to consume less tea to reduce the country’s economic spending. The country’s economic reserves have reached minimum levels capable of paying for nearly two months of imports, for which the Minister of Planning and Development of Pakistan, Ahsan Iqbal, called on the nation to “reduce tea consumption by one or two cupssince this product is already imported through loans.
Pakistan’s reserves, which stood at 16,000 million dollars (15,400 million euros) in February, fell to 10,000 million, about 9,600 million euros, in the first week of June. According to CNN, the country has faced, in recent months, an exponential growth in the price of food, gas and oil.
According to the BBC, Pakistan is the country that imports the most tea in the world. Last year more than 600 million dollars in tea were imported, about 577 million euros. To counteract the economic crisis that the country is experiencing, shops in Pakistan can also close at 8:30 pm The goal is to save electricity..
In addition to the call to reduce tea consumption and the possible time limit for shopkeepers, Imports of dozens of luxury items were also banned. as part of this package of measures to protect Pakistani funds.
Last week, the government announced a budget proposal in an attempt to convince the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to help the nation. The agreement with the IMF that was negotiated in 2019, to curb an economic crisis generated by weak foreign investment and years of stagnation, was suspended after some analysis of Pakistan’s financial situation.
Source: Observadora
