Utility stores face sugar shortage

ISLAMABAD: Sugar is in short supply in most Utility Stores across the country, with the citizens having little to no access to the subsidised stock at the state-run outlets, ARY News reported on Friday, citing sources.

Sources told ARY News that subsidised sugar has disappeared from Utility Stores across the country, while new purchases are yet to be made. Sugar crisis can be intensified if the government fails to buy new stocks.

Sources within utility stores claimed that the corporation was facing a sugar shortage as it faced difficulties in procuring the stock.

Sources claimed that the corporation recently cancelled two tenders due to high bid. Meanwhile, it failed to receive any bid for some tenders.

The utility stores claimed that efforts were underway to purchase sugar, adding that an open tender of procurement of 40 thousand tons of sugar will be issued next week.

Last month, the price and availability of sugar gradually became stable and normal after the caretaker government launched a massive crackdown to curb smuggling and hoarding of essential commodities.

In line with its strategy, the government also planned prize money (cash reward) for those citizens who would provide information leading to the identification of elements involved in the smuggling and hoarding.

To stop hoarding the federal and provincial governments have launched operations in different cities, including Lahore, Rawalpindi, Islamabad, Faisalabad, Peshawar, Quetta and Dera Ismail Khan, which resulted in seizure of illegally stocked sugar.