{
  "id": 14839693,
  "title": "SECP chief proposes establishing national agri spot market",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/16/secp-chief-proposes-establishing-national-agri-spot-market",
  "topic": "finance",
  "section": "Finance & Markets",
  "published": "2026-10-16T01:43:57.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Business Recorder",
    "slug": "business-recorder",
    "url": "https://www.brecorder.com/news/40444471/secp-chief-proposes-establishing-national-agri-spot-market"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "ISLAMABAD — The Chairman of Pakistan's Securities and Exchange Commission (SECP), Dr Kabir Ahmed Sidhu, has suggested creating a national agricultural spot market. Sidhu believes this market would connect farmers, warehouses, banks, and buyers via a unified digital trading platform. This platform could help secure better prices for growers, reduce post-harvest losses, and increase access to financing. Sidhu made this proposal during the Pakistan Institute of Development Economics' international conference, \"Mission 100 Billion Dollars\". He stated that the new market would incorporate standardized grading, transparent bidding, and electronic warehouse receipts to modernize agricultural trade. Provincial authorities would continue to oversee agricultural markets, but the SECP would provide the technological support.\n\nSidhu emphasized the importance of agricultural market reforms, noting that agriculture contributes 23.44 percent to Pakistan's gross domestic product. He estimated the country's crop value at approximately Rs 8.8 trillion, highlighting the economic impact of losses due to inadequate storage and marketing infrastructure. Estimates of post-harvest losses ranged from 20 to 40 percent, with each percentage point of crop loss amounting to roughly Rs 88 billion. Better handling, storage, and distribution could preserve substantial economic value and enhance farmers' earnings.\n\nSidhu pointed out the disparity between approved storage capacity and actual agricultural production. Approved warehouses could store around 326,000 metric tonnes, while annual production of dry agricultural commodities suitable for storage amounted to approximately 55.7 million metric tonnes. He suggested that developing modern warehouses, cold storage facilities, and efficient supply chains could attract investment into agriculture, minimize wastage, and improve access to export buyers. A key element of the proposed framework would be the increased use of electronic warehouse receipts, allowing farmers to obtain bank financing against stored produce. This access to storage and financing could alleviate the urgency for growers to sell immediately after harvest, granting them greater flexibility in determining when to bring their products to market.\n\nThe proposed spot market would initially target wheat, rice, maize, cotton, and sugar, with standard quality grades and uniform requirements for weight, quality assessment, and grading. Transparent bidding could improve price discovery and enable farmers to secure more competitive prices. Sidhu also stressed the significance of registering traders and commission agents and maintaining digital records of transactions and inventories. These steps, along with a dependable system for prompt payments, could enhance accountability and better protect farmers and buyers.",
  "summary": "ISLAMABAD: The Chairman, Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) Dr Kabir Ahmed Sidhu has proposed establishing a national agricultural spot market to connect farmers, warehouses, banks and buyers through a common digital trading platform, helping secure better prices for growers, reduce post-harvest losses and expand access to financing. Addressing the Pakistan Institute of…",
  "key_points": [
    "SECP Chairman Dr Kabir Ahmed Sidhu proposes national agricultural spot market",
    "Platform to connect farmers, warehouses, banks, buyers via digital trading",
    "Market aims to secure better prices, reduce losses, increase financing access"
  ],
  "editors_take": "Integrating digital trading and electronic warehouse receipts into the agricultural sector shifts power toward growers by providing the storage infrastructure and financing needed to avoid forced immediate sales.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}