Punjab govt decides to fix ex-mill price of sugar

LAHORE: In a bid to provide relief to the masses ahead of the holy month of Ramazan, the Punjab government has decided to fix the ex-mill price of sugar, ARY News reported.

Sources privy to the development said that the Punjab government has decided to notify Rs78 to Rs83 per kilo as the ex-mill price of the commodity. The provincial government, however, was mulling to fix retail sugar price at Rs86 per kilogram.

The matter will be discussed in the provincial cabinet meeting soon, the sources said, adding that strict action will be taken against those sugar mills that would violate the rates fixed by the government.

Earlier on March 27, the sugar mills in Punjab had announced an end to the crushing season, producing 3,773,000 metric tonnes of the commodity, around 400,000 metric tonnes of surplus sucrose than the provincial need.

According to details, 3,773,000 metric tonnes of sugar had been produced in the province including the previous carry forward amount, which was more than the annual need for the entire population of the province that remains at 3,367,000 metric tonnes.

The province would have the need of 2,240,000 metric tonnes till the next year’s crushing season, as sugar mills had a stock of 2,542,000 metric tonnes. The province had a carry forward sugar stock of 39,000 metric tonnes from the previous year.