LAHORE: Sugar crisis will be over soon as Pakistan Sugar Mills Association (PSMA) has conditionally offered the Punjab government to supply the commodity through dealers registered with the Punjab Cane Commissioner under the newly-promulgated Punjab Sugar (Supply-Chain Management) Order 2021, officials sources claimed.
The sources told Business Recorder on Tuesday said the Association in a letter to the Chief Secretary Punjab said it is actively engaged with Cane Commissioner, as well as deputy commissioners in the districts to ensure adequate supply of sugar. However, the newly promulgated law is a serious impediment to maintain the supply line for want of registration of dealers by the offices of respective deputy commissioners. Secondly, the PSMA said it must also be ensured that the dealers registered with respective deputy commissioners under the said Order also lift adequate quantity of sugar to maintain required supply in the markets.
However, the PSMA claimed that the existing dealer's network has become non-functional due to interventions and investigations of FIA. They are no more in the process of lifting sugar from the mills, consequently the supply chain is disruptive. There are serious apprehensions that the disruptive supply chain may have serious repercussions because of non-registration of dealers or their non-lifting of sugar after registration. Meanwhile, Lahore Sugar Dealers Association Chairman and a wholesaler at the Akbari Mandi Asghar Butt claimed that the district administration Lahore had lifted 360 tons of white refined commodity from a mill for the city. He said it has been lifted at ex-mill rate of Rs 93 per kilograms and those who will be given share from this lifted stock for sale has deposited the payment to mill on behalf of the district administration. He said the lifted quantity will be available for sale tomorrow at around Rs 96 per kilogram after adding transportation charges, taxes and incidentals. Asghar Butt hailed the steps taken by the provincial government and the district administration to resolve the issue of sugar.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2021