Crackdown against sugar hoarders expedited across Punjab

LAHORE: Punjab government has expedited the crackdowns against the sugar hoarders across the province to ensure the availability of sugar at the government rates, ARY News reported on Friday.

The district administration along with the teams of police and food department conducted raids in Sargodha, Sahiwal, Faisalabad and Rahim Yar Khan. During the actions, two sugar mills were sealed in Sargodha and Faisalabad.

The officials told the media that huge stocks of hoarded sugar have recovered in different cities. The officials recovered 100 sacks of sugar in Lahore, 480 in Sargodha and 6,757 metric tonnes in Rahim Yar Khan.

READ: PETROL, GAS PRICES WILL LIKELY GO UP AGAIN, PM SAYS DURING NATIONAL ADDRESS

The seized sugar stocks will be sold in markets at controlled prices. The provincial chief secretary said that those looting the consumers will face strict actions and crackdowns against hoarders will be continued.

He added that the authorities will not allow the sale of sugar above the retail price fixed at Rs89.75 per kilogram.

In another development today, sugar has disappeared from Lahore’s wholesale market, causing difficulties for the retailers. Sources privy to the development said, there is no sugar in the city’s Akbari Mandi as the hoarders have reportedly reacted to the ongoing action against them.

READ: SUGAR DISAPPEARS FROM LAHORE’S WHOLESALE MARKET

The administration sealed many shops in an action against the hoarders for selling the item at exorbitant rates. The retailers are finding it difficult to get the sugar to meet the demand of the end-users.

On Thursday, prices of sugar witnessed a rapid rise in various parts of the country.

The wholesale rate of the essential commodity had also gone up to Rs25 in Karachi after which it was available Rs140 per kg. Whereas in the retail market the sugar kilogram is available for no less than Rs145.

In Lahore, the retail price of sugar on Thursday was being sold Rs140/kg while the Sugar Dealers Association said there’s a suspended supply of the commodity by the millers.