ISLAMABAD, Jan 10: The government is expected to shortly import close to 600,000 tons of raw sugar, both through the Trading Corporation of Pakistan (TCP) and the private sector, to stabilize the price of sugar which has been rising unabatedly in the country.

Informed sources told Dawn on Tuesday that the government was anticipating a shortfall of 600,000 tons of sugar this year which needed to be met through imports. Raw sugar, available at lower prices in the international market, will be refined at home for marketing.

Last year’s sugarcane production was 47 million tons. Since this year the crop is expected to be around 45.8 million tons, sugar production will also be less than last year, aggravating the shortage.

However, sources said that the government was experiencing difficulties to control the increasing sugar prices despite issuing serious directives to official agencies concerned to look into the issue.

Both the Federal and Punjab’s Cane Commissioners have not been able to stop the “unregistered buying” of sugarcane by the sugar mills from the growers because of the powerful sugar lobby.

“Sugarcane is a political crop and the sugar industry is a political industry,” a source said, adding that people sitting in the cabinet and the government were using their influence to help sugar mills thrive at the cost of the people who were buying sugar at Rs31-32 per kg compared to about Rs26-27 per kg of last year.

Out of 77, about 6-7 relatively bigger sugar mills were more active in seeking increased profit through their clout in the government. Since the government allows the import of duty-free raw sugar, some of the mills have already started importing the commodity and were converting them into refined sugar.

Sources said sugar prices in the international market were increasing and were close to the prices of local sugar after paying the landed cost.