October 04, 2007	Thursday	Ramazan 21, 1428

LAHORE, Oct 3: Justice Syed Hamid Ali Shah of the Lahore High Court (LHC) on Wednesday allowed the release of Indian sugar in the local market dismissing a petition by the Pakistan Sugar Mills Association (PSMA). The PSMA claimed Indian sugar was unfit for human consumption. Through a short order, the judge accepted two petitions by two importers, seeking release of the sugar seized by the Customs.

Petitioners Rana Brothers and Sawera Group argued that Indian sugar was fit for consumption and was already being sold across Pakistan. But the PSMA alleged it contained high ratio of sulphur dioxide and was below the International Commission for Uniform Methods of Sugar Analysis (ICUMSA) standards.

The association, through advocate Fawad Husain, stated the import of substandard sugar was not only against the country’s trade policy but also against the interest of the Pakistani farmers.

“Dumping of Indian sugar, which is injurious to health, will push sugarcane growers and farmers, the sugar industry and public at large towards a disaster,” he pleaded.

“The import of Indian sugar is a waste of foreign exchange because it can be manufactured in Pakistan easily,” he added.

He said Indian sugar was being imported despite the fact that Pakistan Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (PCSIR) laboratories had declared presence of 30 mg per kg sulphur in Indian sugar in the past.

“The consumption of such sugar can cause blood-related diseases and damage the vital organs of the body,” he added.

He asked the court to restrain authorities from dubbing B-class sugar as refined sugar.

The importers said the court’s orders staying the release of the imported sugar had caused them financial losses.

Justice Shah ordered the PCSIR and the Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority (PSQCA) to conduct tests of the sugar and report to the court if it was fit for human consumption. The importers said Indian sugar was being sold at Utility Stores across Pakistan. They challenged the legality of the PSQCA to test the sugar.

The PSQCA in its report said Indian sugar contained sulphur dioxide which made it unfit for human consumption and caused diseases of skin and lung.

The report said the PSQCA was not monitoring the inland production of sugar till the government had notified the certification.

“Now the government of Pakistan, in furtherance of world trade agreements, has made it compulsory for importers to obtain a ‘Quality Conformance Report’ from the PSQCA before the release of imported goods. So, it is the responsibility of the PSQCA to control the quality of imported white sugar by certifying quality conforming to Pakistan National Standard,” it added.

The report said the court had sought a report if the imported Indian sugar was fit for human consumption when Luqman Ahmad challenged the quality of the sugar imported by Rana Brothers.

“Meanwhile Rana Borthers filed bill of entry for the release of imported sugar whereby Customs Authorities contacted the PSQCA for issuance of a quality conformance report in respect of imported sugar,” it said.

The PSQCA issued a conformance report on Sept 11, 2007, declaring the samples B-class, it said. But, the report added, the Pakistan Society of Sugar Technologists informed the cane commissioner only A-class sugar was being produced in Pakistan in accordance with the national quality standard made by the PSQCA.

They asked the commissioner to ensure that Indian sugar must qualify to A-class, the report said, adding that Pakistan was producing only A-class sugar.

Shahid Bilal, counsel for the Rana Brothers, says the sample reports show the sugar is fit for human consumption. He said last year the Trade Corporation of Pakistan imported 7.46 metric ton of sugar from India, which was being sold across Pakistan at utility stores. “Was that sugar tested?” he asked.

Representing Sawera Group, Ali Sibtain Fazli said the controversy of the ICUMS was absolutely irrelevant because it was about the colour of the sugar alone.

Regarding the presence of sulphur dioxide, he said, it was a substance used as preservative in several edibles, including fruit juices and colas, in volumes higher than the ones found in the imported Indian sugar.