Surge in sugar price perturbs consumers

Rawalpindi

Helpless public is running pillar to post to find out sugar on low prices but in vain as 1-kilogram commodity is selling at Rs72 against Rs67 for some days. 

The pinching thing especially for poor is that government run utility stores have also failed to provide sugar to its customers for more than two months and the bad news is that the situation may persist for some time in future.

It has been learnt the contract of the Utility Stores Corporation (USC) with the Trading Corporation of Pakistan (TCP) had lapsed some two months back which has still not been renewed. Secondly, millers are not ready to provide sugar on low prices to USC.

Utility Stores Corporation (USC) Regional Manager (RM) Rawalpindi Raja Zulqarnain has admitted that sugar, was not available in stores since Eidul Fitr. Sale is strongly affecting because of absence of sugar. 

However, the government officials and TCP are not ready to admit that there was shortage of sugar and continuously saying that the country has surplus stock.

A survey conducted by ‘The News’ that government has failed to stop ever-increasing prices of sugar. In the month of January 2016, 1-kilogram sugar was available at Rs44, in February at Rs49, in March at Rs52, in April at Rs54, in May at Rs58, in June at Rs64, in July at Rs67 and in the month of August it is selling at Rs72.

All Pakistan Sugar Wholesale Dealers Association President Haji Fazal has also admitted that sugar prices were continuously increasing. A strong planning is needed to stop sugar prices otherwise it will touch to Rs80 per kilogram in coming days, he warned.

Market sources said that reasons of this price hike are hoarding and smuggling of commodity to neighbouring countries. The commodity is being smuggled to Afghanistan and Iran where the price of sugar was more than Rs100 per kilogram, the sources said.

Naeem Ahmed, a retailer said that wholesalers are keeping the price high by restricted supply to Jodia Bazaar Karachi, Akbari Mandi Lahore and Narankari Bazaar Rawalpindi which increases the rates of sugar all over the country.

Talking to ‘The News’ poor belonging to different walks of life strongly condemned government for not providing sugar on cheaper prices. Government is neither providing low price sugar in open market nor in Utility Stores, where we should go in this situation, public denounced.

Tariq Mehmood, a customer said that sugar has gone out of reach for them but government was watching the whole drama with closed eyes. “I am visiting government run stores regularly but returned back empty handed,’ he denounced.

Shazia Norin, a lady customer said that nobody was taking action that we are buying 1-kilogram sugar at Rs72. We were buying 1-kilogram sugar at Rs67 from USC but there was no commodity for more than two months. Some coins have valued for a poor man but government not considering it, he said.