Govt urged not to allow export of sugar

LAHORE: Agri Forum Pakistan, Chairman, Muhammad Ibrahim Mughal, has urged the government not to allow export of sugar till the sugar industry declares the final production figures. In a statement issued on Saturday, Mughal said that sugar price should not cross Rs 55 per kilogram in the market if the price paid to the sugarcane growers by the millers this year is kept in mind.

However, he feared that in case export is allowed millers could take the price of the sugar over Rs 60 per kg. He said that last year sugarcane was bought by the mills at Rs 200 per maund and this year government announced its minimum support price at Rs 150 per maund but mills were buying from Rs 110 to 120 per maund and that too is on credit.

He claimed that 100 per kg buying was made on credit and millers are yet to clear the dues of the sugarcane growers.

'This year sugar mills might be producing not more than 4.4 million tons of sugar and export should not be allowed till the production crosses the domestic requirement figures,' Mughal pleaded and added that domestic requirement is 4.2-4.3 million tons per annum. Giving province-wise sugar production this year, Mughal claimed that the mills in Punjab would be producing 3 million tons of sugar, 0.9 million tons in Sindh and 0.4 to 0.5 million tons by the industry in Khyber Pakhtunkhawa. In that situation, if government has allowed to export 0.5 million tons then the consumer had to buy sugar at very expensive rate, he concluded.

source: brecorder