The Punjab government has directed all the District Co-ordination Officers (DCOs) to set up fair-price shops in their respective districts to sell 8,400 metric tons of sugar at the rate of Rs 62 per kilograms; the step is taken to keep the sugar prices at a reasonable level in the open market.
Sources in the Punjab Food Department told Business Recorder here on Thursday that the DCOs had received instructions to immediately set up the fair-price shops, as were done during the month of Ramazan, to arrest the rising prices of the sweetener and to facilitate the masses.
The provincial government had obtained around 50,000 metric tons of sugar during the month of Ramazan and that sugar was sold to the masses through different Sunday Bazaars and special 'Sastay Bazaars' established in the holy month.The sources said that this sugar would be available to the consumers at the rate of Rs 62 per kilogram in both one kilogram and two kilograms packing.
However, in Rawalpindi region this sugar would be available to consumer at Rs 63 per kilograms, the sources averred. Besides 8,400 metric tons of sugar present in different districts of the province, the government also has over 17,000 metric tons of sugar at stand by in Karachi.
This sugar would soon start coming to the province and would be sent to different districts to ensure smooth supply of the sweetener, the sources added. The sources said that a meeting of the officials from the provincial food department, cane commissioner and representatives of the Pakistan Sugar Mills Association (PSMA) held in the office of the Secretary Food Punjab, Muhammad Irfan Elahi.
The meeting reviewed and discussed the prevailing prices of sugar, immediate measures to provide relief to the masses and possibilities of start of crushing season at the earliest. Sources said that the meeting observed that the situation could only be improved if the Trading Corporation of Pakistan (TCP) off-load the sugar stocks available it in the open market.
Meanwhile, the rising trend in the prices of sugar continued on Thursday in the wholesale market after one day interval as on Wednesday the commodity prices witnessed decline as these came down from Rs 8700 per 100 kilograms to around 8600 per 100 kilogram. However, on Thursday the prices of the commodity again saw a sharp rise and traders in the Akbari Market said that these reached to 8900 to 8960 per 100 kilograms.