By Uzma Zafar
ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Industries and Production Hammad Azhar on Friday said imported sugar will reduce the prices of the commodity by 15 to 20 rupees per kilogram in the domestic market.
“Over one hundred tons of imported sugar has arrived at the Karachi port”, said Hammad Azhar while addressing a press conference in Islamabad flanked by Information and Broadcasting Minister Shibli Faraz and National Food Security Minister Syed Fakhar Imam.
The minister said the imported sugar would be sold at Rs15 lesser as compared to the local market rate and added that more 50,000 tons of sugar will reach the country soon.
Hammad Azhar hoped that imported sugar and the crushing season which will commence soon to greatly help in reducing the price of sugar in the domestic market.
Replying to a query the federal minister said that country’s industrial sector is working better.
Earlier Thursday, the Punjab authorities started selling imported sugar on rates set by the government and had dispatched stocks of 13,800 metric tons to districts.
The Punjab government had dispatched 13,800 metric tons of sugar to districts after starting selling the sugar on rates set by the government.
Meanwhile PTI leader Jahangir Tareen on the sugar price hike said that whole sale and retail sector is not regulated in Pakistan and those who purchase stock do not mention their name on tax. “I would come out clean if transparent investigations were held on sugar crisis,” he added.
The PTI leader said that the prime minister has also expressed his feelings to him. Imran Khan was told that I [Jahangir Tareen] was behind sugar crisis but I was not even involved in the decision to export sugar.
“The decision to export sugar was taken under the leadership of Asad Omar,” he said adding that sugar is expensive in Pakistan due to high price of sugarcane.
