Lahore:
Pakistan Sugar Mills Association (PSMA) stressed that the sugar industry has always cooperated with the government in larger national interests, however, the sale of sugar on the market has been seriously affected by the prohibition of the interprorvincial and inter-district circulation of the goods and the closure of the Federal Portal of the Federal Council (FBR).
During a meeting with the Punjab Cane Commissioner, Amjad Hafez, the secretary general of the PSMA said that, like the other cultures, the floods and the torrential rains had also damaged sugar cane plantations on a large area and that the harvest would take time to fully mature.
He stressed that the government had already suggested that sufficient sugar stocks would be available in the country until mid-November, but despite insurance, the government has accepted tenders for the importation of 350,000 metric tonnes for which rights and taxes had been deleted.
“With the arrival of imported sugar and the presence of stocks in Mills, it will not be possible to launch the overwhelming season early,” he noted.
It has been expressed that if such restrictions on the free movement of sugar continued, this would not only affect industry but also sugar cane producers. The secretary general demanded that the government take stock of the serious situation and excites the country outside the crisis in association with the sugar industry.
A week ago, the PSMA in a statement said that the FBR had interrupted the sale of sugar across the country thanks to its online portal, which caused strong objections of the members of the association.
While expressing his concerns about the FBR’s decision to restrict sales by sweets via the portal, the PSMA stressed that there were no such restrictions on the sale or price of imported sugar, calling for rules of the game.
A spokesperson for the association warned that such policies could lead to a serious market crisis. They warned that the restriction of inner sugar sales can lead to a shortage on the market, resulting in prices.
