LAHORE: The Punjab government has started deliberations on fixing the ex-mill and retail price of sugar for providing relief to masses by controlling sugar prices. “If it happened, it will be the first time ever that the government will fix ex-mill prices,” said official sources.

The sources told Business Recorder on Wednesday that a committee comprising Secretary Food Punjab, Secretary Industries and Cane Commissioner Punjab has started calculations on a data of cost provided by the Pakistan Sugar Mills Association (PSMA) though the PSMA is not on board in this process.

They said the government is trying to come up with a price which would be agreeable by all the stakeholders and provide relief to the common people. After the deliberations, a solid proposal will be sent to the provincial cabinet for approval. When asked about any idea of the price, the sources said deliberations have just started and are in initial phase.

Meanwhile, the Punjab Cane Commissioner Office the other day granted first license to a sugar broker under the Punjab Sugar (Supply-chain Management) Order 2021. However, four more brokers were awarded licenses under the same order on Wednesday taking the total tally to five.

Likewise, over 115 dealers have got themselves registered with the administration of different districts till Tuesday and the number is growing, said Cane Commissioner Punjab Muhammad Zaman Wattoo while talking to this scribe.

He said registration of brokers and dealers under the said order would help discouraging the middle men and sugar mafia.

He said despite lapse of Sugar Factories Control Ordinance, the Cane Commissioner Office would continue regulating sugar mills to ensure payments to the sugar cane growers. He said that action can be taken against the mills that bought sugarcane during the period of the said ordinance and did not pay to the farmers.

Meanwhile, Asghar Butt from Akbari Mandi told that some 430 bags of 50 kilograms each were sent by the district administration and sugar was sold at Rs96 per kilograms to the wholesalers. He said it has eased the crisis of sugar to some extent though not completely.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2021