Pakistan Sugar Mills Association (PSMA) said that the sugar industry has offered its stocks at importing cost simply to avoid further politicisation of the issue and clarify that no sugar mill is involved in hoarding of sugar, as alleged in the ''media trial.''
While talking to media men here on Saturday, a PSMA spokesman said the sugar industry had been paying exorbitant price of sugarcane throughout the crushing season, which was not the case of those who imported sugar in recent past.
He said the sugar industry had paid hefty amounts to the sugarcane farmers throughout the country, therefore, those who are comparing local production with imported sugar are simply trying to distort the facts.
The PSMA spokesman also reminded the critics that both the government and media had played the role of a silent spectator when the industry was paying unprecedented rates of sugarcane to farmers and Sindh government was registering FIRs against the sugar mills resisting the abnormal demands from the farmers.
He said it was highly unfortunate that neither the government nor the media was considering the production cost while criticising as well as analysing the sugar prices in the country. Instead, the sugar millers were dubbed as exploiters, hoarders and plunderers of country''s consumers, which was not fair in any case.
He further pointed out that how the industry could flourish and ensure job opportunities to people in such a hostile approach of the government and the media?
The PSMA spokesman said the government should, therefore, take the industry''s proposal seriously and not push it into deep crisis.