PSMA says to move court if sugar lifted under new price

LAHORE: Sugar-millers of Punjab have warned the provincial government of legal action if any attempt is made to lift the commodity from their premises under the new price, fixed on July 16.

The Punjab government, through a notification, No DD (PR)2-11-2021, fixed sugar price at Rs 88.24 per kilogramme. However, the Pakistan Sugar Mills Association (PSMA), through a letter to all deputy commissioners of Punjab, warned that the sugar price fixation matter was sub judice in the Lahore High Court (LHC). Thus the deputy commissioners should not take any illegal action or violate the court order.

The letter said that a similar case was also pending with the Peshawar High Court (PHC) as well. “If any illegal action is taken, including removal of sugar stocks, the millers would take up the matter with the Lahore High Court,” the PSMA said.

A similar but detailed letter was written by the legal consultant of the PSMA to the deputy commissioners and copied to the director general Industries, Prices, Weight and Measurement Punjab. The letter warned of legal consequences including contempt of court if sugar lifted from the mills in Punjab on the instructions of the deputy commissioners’ offices or DG Industries.

On the other hand, the deputy commissioners in Punjab have issued new price notification, fixing retail price of sugar at Rs88.24 per kilogramme. The DCs instructed the field administration to strictly implement the new official rate of sugar.

Punjab Secretary Industries Wasif Khurshid also issued instructions to the deputy commissioners to strictly implement the sugar prices without any discrimination. Talking to The News, he said instructions had already been issued while the DCs also notified the new sugar price in line with the instructions of the Ministry of Industries and Production (MoI&P). The deputy commissioners have been asked to implement the official rates of all items, he added.

Meanwhile, for the first time, the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) jumped into the sugar pricing issue. FPCCI Senior Vice President Khwaja Shahzeb Akram asked the federal and provincial governments on Monday to withdraw the sugar prices notifications. He asked the government that the pricing system should be allowed to operate according to the open market situation.