LAHORE, April 15: Prime minister’s adviser on finance Dr Salman Shah has said that sugar mills will provide 10 per cent of their production at cheaper rates to the government for sale at utility stores.

Talking to newsmen after a meeting with office bearers of the Pakistan Sugar Mills Association (PSMA) here on Saturday, he said the decision would improve sugar availability at utility stores.

The Saturday meeting, a sequel to PSMA representative’s recent meeting with President Pervez Musharraf, discussed in detail all matters pertaining to sugar industry and was attended by the CBR chairman, federal cane commissioner, representatives of the PSMA and other stake holders.

To a question, the adviser said that there was no shortage of sugar in the country. “The price of the commodity is on the higher side due to international phenomenon.”

To another question, he said, “the meeting was very useful. We discussed long term, medium term and short term measures to sort out various problems of the sugar industry and ensure that people can purchase sugar at affordable rates.”

Shah said short term initiatives included contribution of 10 per cent of their production by the sugar mills, while long term measures included provision of better seed, intensive research to increase per acre yield besides various other measures. “The production of sugar can be doubled by taking such steps,” said the advisor. —APP