Official rate of sugar not implemented anywhere

LAHORE:The Punjab government managed to supply sugar at official ex-mill rate of Rs80 per kg in Akbari Mandi and it was sold at Rs83 per kg first time since it has fixed the rate of sugar.

But the supply of the sugar was limited and it vanished the same day and the commodity was not available in wholesale and retail markets at official rate of Rs83 and Rs85 per kg, respectively. On Tuesday, the district government with the help of cane commissioner office was somehow able to manage to lift some sugar at official Rs80-ex-mill from some sugar mills and supplied it to Akbari Mandi. The supply was thin while the sugar already vanished from the wholesale market since the price order was issued by the industry department a couple of days ago.

However, the retail price of Rs85 per kilogram was not observed and implemented anywhere in the City. At retail and Karyana stores sugar was not sold. Shopkeepers said they did not get sugar at official price yet so they were unable to sell it. On the other hand, grocery chain stores, retail stores and Karyana shops were selling sugar to their known and regular customers at Rs100 per kilogram. They were telling them since the crackdown was started sugar was not available at official rate from ex-mill as well as from wholesale so they could not sell it official retail rates.

An official of the food department said that the government made all necessary arrangements of lifting sugar from sugar mills at maximum ex-mill rate of Rs80 per kilogram. The sugar lifting on notified rates from sugar mills is already started from designated mills to allocated districts. The sugar supply at official ex-mill rate is gaining momentum and supply would be improved in couple of days both in wholesale and retail levels. The government will not allow anyone to sell sugar higher than at Rs85 per kilogram in any part of province at any cost. Anyone found selling sugar higher than the official rates is being nabbed.

The district administrations across the province are conducting price check inspections, checking godown to counter the hoarding and stabilising the market, he added. Daily sugar requirement of Lahore district is 1112.63 metric ton on the population basis of the city. According to the Punjab government devised plan sugar supply from Pattoki Sugar Mills Kasur, Channar Sugar Mills, Sukarganj Sugar Mills-I & II, Kashmir Sugar Mills, Haq Bahu Sugar Mills, Rasool Nawaz (Gourmet) Sugar Mills, Tandalianwala Sugar Mills, Ramzan Sugar Mills, Safina Sugar Mills, and Rahimyar Khan Sugar Mills at official rate of ex-mill Rs80 per kilogram being ensured.