Higher production: Govt may allow additional 600,000 tons of sugar exports: Tanveer

ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for National Food Security and Research Rana Tanveer Hussain has said the government may consider exporting another 600,000 tons of sugar if domestic production improves, while defending the existing export decision as an effort to ensure better prices for sugarcane growers.

He expressed the expectation that sugar mills would start crushing from mid-November, adding that the government would consider further exports if sugar production remained satisfactory.

Speaking to the media on the sidelines of the 29th Sustainable Development Conference (SDC), organised by the Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI) on Thursday, the minister said sugar exports had been allowed to provide better returns to farmers.

On wheat, he said imports had improved flour supplies in the domestic market and helped bring down prices. He referred to a recent statement by Sindh Information Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon, saying that he had also acknowledged a decline in flour prices in Sindh.

The minister said corporate farming was gaining momentum in Pakistan, while the corporate sector was increasingly contributing to environmental improvement and supporting the cultivation of different crops.

Commenting on political developments, Rana Tanveer said Chaudhry Salik Hussain should not have issued the statement he made, adding that the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) was an ally of the ruling coalition and matters were expected to improve in the coming days.

Defending the Punjab government, he said governance in the province was the best and Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz was working hard. He added that whenever he attended meetings reviewing provincial performance, he found Punjab leading other provinces.

Separately, Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar has called for mandatory labelling of artificial intelligence (AI)-generated content, stronger fact-checking by social media platforms, establishment of their local offices in Pakistan and an international convention to combat misinformation and disinformation.

Addressing a plenary session titled “Rethinking Development in Post-truth Era” at the concluding ceremony of the four-day 29th Sustainable Development Conference, Tarar said information gatekeeping had shifted towards algorithms designed to maximise user engagement without any inherent mechanism for verification.

He said he had been urging social media platforms to make AI-generated content labelling mandatory, noting that TikTok had already introduced such a feature. He also cited the community notes feature on X as a mechanism to flag old videos circulated as recent events.

The minister stressed that AI labelling needed to be backed by an appropriate regulatory and legal framework, adding that the technology also posed risks to creative industries, including advertising and filmmaking, where human input remained essential.

He said he had proposed an international convention on misinformation and disinformation during recent visits to partner countries, envisaging an international body with participation from member states.

On the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA), Tarar maintained that the law was aimed at preventing cyber and digital crimes and did not restrict freedom of expression or journalists’ professional activities.

He said the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) was establishing regional offices and training its staff, while a Social Media Regulation and Protection Authority had also been established and its chairperson appointed.

Calling for stronger defamation laws, he said citizens should not have to travel abroad to pursue legal action. He also emphasised the need for an effective system of investigation, prosecution and conviction to address online harassment and blackmail, particularly against women, and proposed counselling facilities for victims.

In his opening remarks, SDPI Executive Director Dr Abid Qaiyum Suleri said the conference had examined multiple disruptions, including floods, geopolitical developments, the closure of supply routes and disruptions to energy transportation, which had adversely affected economic activity.

He said misinformation had emerged as another major disruption, citing fabricated reports circulated during the May conflict, including claims that Lahore’s port had been destroyed and that Islamabad airport was under attack.

Suleri stressed that governments needed to maintain public trust and credibility while protecting the right to information and freedom of expression and addressing misinformation and the deliberate or selective presentation of facts.

At another session titled “From Policy to Practice: Strengthening Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for Better Systems in Pakistan”, Minister of State for Climate Change Dr Shezra Mansab Ali Khan Kharal called for stronger waste collection, segregation and recycling systems.

She acknowledged the significant role of the informal waste collection sector, while highlighting challenges arising from differences in plastic regulations and enforcement mechanisms across jurisdictions.

The minister also discussed the Single-Use Plastics Prohibition Regulations 2023 and Pakistan’s participation in the Global Plastic Action Partnership (GPAP), which the country joined in 2022, leading to the development of a National Action Roadmap to reduce plastic pollution.

The four-day conference, held at Allama Iqbal Open University, carried the overarching theme “Rethinking Development in an Age of Disruption”. AIOU Vice Chancellor Dr Nasir Javed and Dr Abid Qaiyum Suleri presented a memento to the federal information minister.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2026