LAHORE: Cane Commissioner Punjab Muhammad Zaman Wattoo taking notice of unbridled increasing prices of the locally-produced sugar has directed all the deputy commissioners across the province to ensure white refined sugar at the government notified prices.

"I have issued directions to all the deputy commissioners who are ex-officio additional cane commissioners to ensure that locally-produced sugar is also sold at the rate notified by the government for the imported sugar i.e., Rs89.75 per kilograms," said Cane Commissioner Punjab while talking to Business Recorder here on Monday.

He claimed that deputy commissioners would start raiding different wholesale and retail markets across the province in their respective areas from Tuesday (today) to monitor that the commodity is being sold to the consumers on government rates.

Wattoo also denied that there was any shortage of sugar in the country rather he claimed that sufficient stocks of sugar are available till the end of November in the country. "We have around 225,000 metric tons to 230,000 metric tons of imported and locally produced sugar in the stocks which are sufficient till November 20. While three more vessels are in transit carrying around 60,000 metric tons of sugar which would supplement our existing stocks," he claimed.

Meanwhile, price of white refined sugar surged to Rs11,100 per 100 kg to Rs11,200 per kilogram in whole sale market of the city. A wholesaler said that prices are increasing as very few stocks of locally produced sugar had left in the country. Quoting mills sources, he said that only three to four mills now have sugar in their stocks and they are selling it on higher rates.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2021