LAHORE, Aug 12: The Consumer Rights Association on Friday asked the government to make trade with India a bilateral affair as one-sided trade could hurt Pakistan’s economy.

Speaking at a press conference, participants of the round table conference convened by the CRA said that Pakistan had opened its market without considering its effects on its agriculture and trade.

Sadiq Khaqwani, Kissan Board Pakistan president and one of the participants, held sugar millers also responsible for the government decision to allow the duty-free import of the commodity. Quoting statistics from the industry, he said last year it produced four million tons of sugar. The country had a carry over of 800,000 tons and another 150,000 tons was imported. This year, he said, the acreage of cane dropped by one million acres, which should have cut the sugar production by 100,000 tons. The industry produced 2.6 million tons last year but claimed that it had produced only two million tons of sugar, which, he said, meant that 500,000 tons of sugar had gone missing, hoarded either by stockists or millers. This led to government decision of duty-free import of sugar which created more complications, he added.

Chaudhry Zaka Ashraf of PSMA denied reports of hoarding by millers, saying vested interest not only hoarded the sugar but also purchased the commodity from international market, hiking its rate. Those knowing these decisions well in advance might have done it, he said. These people must be exposed by the government rather than taking blanket decisions and hurting the entire industry, he said.

He said there was only a shortage of 500,000 tons and the government should have imported that much quantity, but it went for duty-free import and created glut in the market. This decision proved to be counter-productive and everyone in the country would suffer the consequences, he lamented.