Islamabad: The Lahore High Court has recently lifted a stay order, allowing the Competition Commission of Pakistan (CCP) to resume its inquiry into allegations of cartelization and price coordination among four major poultry feed manufacturers.
According to Competition Commission of Pakistan, the court’s decision overturns the previous suspension that had halted CCP’s actions against M/s Hi-Tech Feeds, Islamabad Feeds, Kausar Feed Mills, and Mukhtar Poultry Feeds. The CCP had initially issued show cause notices to these companies following suspicions of illegal price coordination.
In 2020, the CCP began investigating after noting a simultaneous and uniform price increase in poultry feed, which suggested potential collusive behavior, violating Section 4 of the Competition Act, 2010. The inquiry included market data analysis and raids on key feed mills in Rawalpindi and Lahore, leading to the issuance of show cause notices to nineteen companies.
The lifting of the stay order comes after some of these companies sought to delay proceedings through legal challenges. The CCP has expressed its commitment to pursuing all cases of injunctions that obstruct the investigation of cartels and market manipulations.