Sugar industry has an alliance of business group, which is to control sugar production and raise its prices at its will. The sugar is now highly politicised business. More than 70 percent politicians are involved in this industry, which sit in the government.
This year one million sugar was produced in Sindh and 1.2 million in Punjab but sugar is being sold at the high rate of Rs 42 to Rs 45 per kg. During the last year, sugar was produced in the same quantity but the price was not so high. Why the sugar prices are so high now only the authorities can explain.
In a few weeks the sugar prices have surged to 80 percent.
Recently, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) was probing the sugar scam as Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz had ordered it to do. The inquiry was going on but the mill-owners requested President Musharraf to stop investigations and assured him that prices would soon be brought down by 10 to 12 percent.
The NAB said, "we do not want to be responsible for further hike in the price of sugar because the mills threatened the government that the price of the commodity will go higher if NAB does not stop the inquiry". The question is why the NAB has refused to do its duty?