LAHORE, Sep 24: Indian sugar is unfit for human consumption and against the import standards of Pakistan, says a Pakistan Standard Quality Control Authority (PSQCA) report submitted to the Lahore High Court.

The PSQCA says ICUMSA, an element which determines the presence of sulphur’s quantity, has been found to be 140 per cent which is way above the permissible level.

Justice Syed Hamid Ali Shah of the Lahore High Court had ordered sampling of the sugar on a petition by Sawera group, seeking release of sugar being kept by the customs for release.

The Pakistan Sugar Mills Association, seeking to become a party to the case, had approached the court. Ch Fawad Hussain, the counsel for the PSMA, said the import of substandard sugar was not only a clear violation of country’s trade policy but also against the interest of Pakistani farmers.

“Dumping of Indian sugar, which was injurious to health, would push the sugar cane growers and farmers, sugar industry and public at large towards a disaster,” he said. Besides, the import of Indian sugar was a wastage of foreign exchange because it could be manufactured in Pakistan easily,” he added.

He said Indian sugar was being imported despite the fact that the PCSIR laboratories had declared presence of 30 mg/kg Sulphur in it in the past. “Consumption of such a sugar could cause blood related diseases and damage the vital organs of the body,” it added.

He said the trade policy clearly laid down that import of goods should be subject to same quality standards required in respect of similarly domestically produced goods. As Pakistan was the only country, producing A-Class white sugar, all imported sugar should meet the same standard, it said.

He prayed the court to restrain authorities concerned from dubbing B-Class sugar as refined sugar.