Ministry of Science and Technology (MoS&T) has buckled down before Pakistan Sugar Mills Association (PSMA) over licensing of sugar mills before coming crushing season 2010-11.
Insiders told Business Recorder that the influential sugar millers are pressurising MoS&T to withdraw SRO No. (1)/2008, which was issued by Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority (PSQCA), an statuary body of the ministry, on October 1, 2008 to bring sugar both the refined and the white under Compulsory Certification Marks Scheme (CCMS) with effect from January 01, 2009.
They informed that PSQCA issued warnings to 84 sugar mills across the country on July 06 to get licensed with the authority before commencement of coming crushing season 2010-11 within 15 days deadline, but except for two sugar mills from Sindh province, not a single sugar mills from Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa approached to know the specifications of sugar manufacturing license.
They said sugar millers called an extraordinary General Body (GB) meeting on July 20 to discuss warnings of PSQCA for payment of marking fees and license for production in coming crushing season in PSMA Punjab-Circle office. "The meeting was called on the request of PSMA Sindh-Chapter to discuss new issues before the commencement of fresh sugarcane crushing season," they noted.
"The meeting observed that the issues of ICUMSA and marking fees had already been settled with PSQCA during the last few meetings and there was no need for further interpretations to MoS&T body, they said, adding that the millers also demanded of the ministry to withdraw SRO No. (1)/2008, because it only applies on imported sugar not on locally manufactured white and refined sugar."
They said the sugar millers had convinced Federal Minister for Science and Technology Azam Khan Sawati to settle the dispute. On the other hand, PSMA has invited Azam Khan Sawati to hold meeting with PSMA-Centre in Islamabad. Finally, a delegation of PSQCA and PSMA-Centre would hold meeting on July 28 to discuss the issues of ICUMSA specification and marking fees, they added.
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