LAHORE: Claiming that sugar prices are increasing in the market because some unscrupulous elements are hoarding the commodity in the absence of sugar production data, the Punjab cane commissioner has directed the millers to provide his office with the required data at the earliest.

In a press release issued on Tuesday, cane commissioner Muhammad Zaman Wattoo said a rising trend in the sugar prices has been observed during the last few days.

This price hike is baffling as the crushing season concluded in the last week of March and the ex-mill price, previously fixed by the sugar mills at around Rs76.50 per kg, had accounted for the cost of production. The increase in ex-price of sugar to Rs80.50 per kg two months after the sugarcane crushing concluded is sheer profiteering on the part of the miller, he said.

Reminding the millers that under the Punjab Sugar (Supply-chain Management) Order, 2021 and the Sugar Factories (Control) Act 1950, they are bound to provide details of the commodity sold to the dealers, the commissioner said the information is necessary to track the supply chain and to ensure that sugar is not hoarded.

Mr Wattoo regretted that despite repeated requests by his office the sugar mills haven’t provided the required details and the lack of data is encouraging the anti-social elements to hoard sugar and jack up its prices artificially.

He again directed the millers to provide the required details so that hoarding is curbed and sugar price is stabilised and warned the stockists and hoarders against their illegal activity otherwise all their stocks will be confiscated.

Published in Dawn, June 1st, 2022