LAHORE: The Pakistan Sugar Mills Association (PSMA-Punjab Zone) has requested the government to immediately resolve the issue of the closure of Pak-Afghan border so that surplus sugar can be transported easily.

The PMSA also questioned how the sugar industry can achieve the target of 45 days of export when the HS Code of sugar has not been activated in the customs department’s software for the last 15 days.

Refuting an impression spread by some quarters that the sugar mills have not fulfilled the quota of 0.15 million tonnes of sugar export, the PSMA Punjab Zone spokesman said that there is absolutely no truth in it. The Pak-Afghan border has been closed for several days and bilateral trade has come to a complete standstill. About 6,000 tons of containers carrying sugar are standing on the border, which is stopped due to the suspension of trade between the two countries. Spreading such news in this situation is tantamount to creating a negative sentiment against the country’s major industry.

How will the sugar industry achieve the target of 45 days of export when the HS Code of sugar has not been activated in the Customs Department’s software for 15 days, the spokesman questioned and also requested to immediately resolve the issue of closure of the Pak-Afghan border so that the surplus sugar can be transported easily.

The spokesman said that only two months are left at the start of the next crushing season and with 1.5 million tonnes of surplus sugar, the government has not made any significant progress in this regard. Due to good sugarcane crops, a further 1.5 million tonnes of surplus sugar is expected in the next season. Sugar mills cannot afford to start a new crushing season until the current surplus stock of sugar is exported.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024