ISLAMABAD: The Punjab government has decided to start sugarcane crushing from Nov 15 to ensure stable price of sugar across the country.

Adviser to the Prime Minister on Finance Shaukat Tarin on Wednesday presided over a meeting of the National Price Monitoring Committee which reviewed the prices of essential food items, especially wheat flour and sugar, across the country.

After confirmation of the crushing season by the Punjab chief secretary, Mr Tarin directed the chief secretary of Sindh to ensure the crushing of sugarcane is started as soon as possible.

The adviser ordered all provincial governments to finalise the indicative price of sugarcane at the earliest. The Punjab government has yet to notify the support price for sugar due to which retail market rate rose to Rs113 per kg.

The Punjab government and the Islamabad administration have managed to stabilise the prices of wheat flour. The prices of the wheat flour remained consistent at Rs1,100 per 20 kg in Punjab and Islamabad.

The Sindh government is yet to stabilise the wheat flour price.

Mr Tarin expressed concern over the significant difference in wheat flour prices between Sindh and other provinces. He directed the Sindh chief secretary to expedite daily releases of wheat at the price determined by the government.

He reiterated the government’s commitment of ensuring smooth supply of wheat flour across the country at the official price. He said the government was taking all possible measures to ensure smooth supply of essential commodities throughout the country.

The chief secretary of Balochistan stressed the need for expanding the network of Utility Store Corporation (USC) and establishing cold storages in the province.

Published in Dawn, October 28th, 2021