Govt warned against decision to import sugar

LAHORE: Agri Forum Pakistan Chairman, Muhammad Ibrahim Mughal, has warned the government that the growers would come on the roads and lodge strong protest if the decision to import sugar is not withdrawn immediately, or the sugar mills delayed the start of crushing season.

"We will give another one week to 10 days to the government to withdraw the decision of importing sugar, otherwise we will launch a protest. It is important to realise that we are at a crucial juncture since the sugarcane crop is ready in the country and it is expected that it would help producing more sugar than the domestic annual consumption," he said while talking to Business Recorder here on Monday.

He said that if the decision is not withdrawn and L/C is opened for import of sugar then growers would be forced to come on the roads and stage sit-in to press the government for acceptance of their legitimate demand. He said that growers would also see that the sugar mills should not delay the crushing season unnecessarily or on pretext of this government decision. "We will also besiege the sugar mills and would have no option but to take law in our hands if the sugarcane crushing season is delayed," Mughal warned.

The Agri Forum Pakistan Chairman said he is being contacted by the growers across the country after his efforts to draw attention of the government towards the anti-grower decision of importing sugar. They are extending their support to the Agri Forum for any move to be launched to protect the rights of the sugarcane farmers. He said that he was even contacted by the businessmen in efforts to force the government not to take such unwise decisions.

He said that he also had started taking other farmer organisations and growers' leaders into confidence over the issue and its negative impact on agricultural sector.

Ibrahim said it was ironic "that we take decisions in the country at wrong times". He said: "When we start importing cotton when our cotton crop is ready, go for import of edible oil when sunflower and canola crops are mature enough to bring in to the market and now when sugarcane crop is ready, the government is taking decision to import sugar".

He appealed to the President of Pakistan to review the decision, as sugarcane had been sown on 2.7 million acres of land in the country this year and import of sugar would only benefit foreign growers. He claimed that 800,000 tons of sugar is present in stocks at the moment and 5 million tons of more sugar is expected from present sugarcane crop against annual consumption of 4.2 million tons. He said import of sugar at this juncture would damage the credibility of the government as well as cause loss to the economy.

He proposed that the government should take stock of this situation and order Trading Corporation of Pakistan (TCP) to buy domestic stocks of sugar to save foreign exchange and ensure provision of sugar to the masses in time and at appropriate rates. He also urged the government to direct the sugar millers not to delay crushing season to save the growers from financial loss.