Sugar crisis deepens in Rawalpindi, Islamabad

The sugar crisis has intensified in Rawalpindi and Islamabad, ARY News reported on Wednesday, citing market representatives.

Despite official claims, sugar has disappeared from markets across Rawalpindi. Both wholesale and retail outlets are reportedly out of stock.

In retail markets, sugar is being sold at prices ranging from Rs190 to Rs200 per kilogram, while in wholesale, a 50-kg bag has surged to as high as Rs9,300.

The sugar shortage is also being reported in Attock, Chakwal, and Talagang, leaving the public distressed.

Mill owners have attributed the shortage to depleted stocks and halted supply chains.

The district administration has launched an operation aimed at bringing sugar prices down.

Heavy fines are being imposed on shopkeepers, and the central traders’ association has called an emergency meeting in response.

Earlier, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) expressed reservations over Pakistan’s decision to offer tax exemptions and subsidies on imported sugar, warning that such measures could jeopardize the ongoing $7 billion loan program, sources familiar with the development told ARY News.

According to official sources, the IMF opposed the government’s plan to provide a subsidy of Rs55 per kilogram on imported sugar, which is expected to arrive in Pakistan at a cost of Rs249 per kg.

The international lender also rejected the Pakistan government’s justification that the import falls under “food emergency” measures.

A key concern raised by the IMF is that a significant portion of the imported sugar is likely to be consumed by industrial users rather than domestic households. This, the IMF argues, undermines the rationale of public interest and could be viewed as a violation of fiscal discipline.