State-run grain trader will procure some 0.15 million tons of sugar from domestic mills to maintain the strategic reserves. Sources told Business Recorder on Saturday that federal government has already issued directive to Trading Corporation of Pakistan (TCP) for procurement of sugar from local mills.
"TCP has been asked to procure overall 150,000 tons of sugar from mills in two phases. Under first phases some 50,000 tons of sugar will be procured in the second week of December, while another quantity of 100,000 tons will be procured by end of December," they added.
Under first phase, TCP invited sealed offers from sugar mills in Pakistan for purchase of 50,000 tons white sugar, packed in polypropylene (PP) woven sacks/bags as per PSQCA approved standards, ie, 1822-2007 (3rd Review) and PS 3128-2008 respectively. The sugar mills who defaulted with the TCP are not eligible to participate in the tender. In addition, those sugar mills who have not fulfilled their contractual obligation with TCP shall also not be eligible to participate in the bids, unless they clear their dues along with penalties or fulfill their contractual obligations with TCP, as the case may be, before tender opening date.
TCP has directed interested parties to submit their bids for a minimum 2,000 tons and maximum 5,000 tons till December 9, 2013. The second sugar procurement tender will be issued after conducting the first tender. TCP is already in process to procure some 100,000 tons of sugar from domestic mills, out of which procurement of 30,000 tons sugar has been completed. Another quantity of 70,000 tons sugar will be handed over to TCP in next few weeks. TCP is directly supplying the commodity to Utility Stores Corporation (USC) and presently it has only stocks of 19,500 tons sugar.