Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI) has held Trading Corporation of Pakistan (TCP) responsible for the brewing sugar crisis in the country. "Despite clear directions of the Economic Co-ordination Committee (ECC) to import 1.2 million tons sugar by April, TCP imported only 230,000 tons, which has caused sugar prices to soar steeply worsening the sugar crisis across the country," said, ICCI President, Zahid Maqbool in a statement issued here on Wednesday.
The country consumes about 4.2 million tons sugar annually while as per statistics of Ministry of Food and Agriculture (Minfa) sugar production this year was 3.4 million tons. Maqbool suggested that the private sector should be allowed to import raw sugar as import of refined sugar would cost the country dearly.
He said there were reports that sugarcane crop this year would be less than the required level and government should have taken a proactive approach by ensuring timely import of sugar to fill demand supply gap. Zahid Maqbool expressed fear that if import of raw sugar is further delayed; the poor people will have to pay heavy price for the government's inaction. He said sugar is an essential commodity and any increase in its price is bound to badly affect the common man. He said that sugar was selling at around Rs 30 per kg a year ago, but due to lack of concentration on part of the government its price has now gone beyond Rs 60 per kg putting huge burden on the common man.-PR
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