Islamabad (Web Desk): Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar expressed his dissatisfaction with the current sugar prices, particularly the retail price of Rs178-180 per kilogram, deeming it unacceptable.
He announced that the government would set a cap on the retail price at Rs164 per kilogram and the ex-mill price at no more than Rs159 per kilogram.
This decision was made after Dar chaired a crucial meeting, aimed at reviewing the sugar pricing issue.
DPM Dar revealed that a sub-committee, headed by Minister for National Food Security and Research Rana Tanveer Hussain, would submit its recommendations within the next month, by April 19.
This committee was formed in response to a rise in sugar prices during the holy month of Ramazan.
The deputy premier highlighted that several meetings had been conducted to tackle the ongoing issue, with the sugar mills association presenting their concerns during these discussions.
Emphasizing the government's commitment to alleviating the financial burden on the public,
Dar reiterated that the prime minister and the government were determined to ensure that sugar would be available at fair prices.
He further elaborated that the government might implement a dual pricing system to ensure that the common people would have access to sugar at the most affordable rate.
In a show of cooperation, DPM Dar thanked the sugar mills association for providing sugar at the subsidized rate of Rs130 per kilogram at 274 Sasta bazaars across the country.
He clarified that there was no sugar shortage in Pakistan, refuting claims of scarcity and warning that any artificial shortage would be dealt with severely.
The meeting was attended by several key figures, including Minister for Law and Justice Azam Nazeer Tarar, PM’s Adviser Haroon Akhtar, senior government officials, and representatives of the sugar mills association.
