THE sugar scandal report has revealed beyond doubt that all mill owners irrespective of party affiliations are together in the gang to rob the country and make money by means fair and foul.

In the light of these findings, effective measures are needed to break this unholy cartel. One possible way out appears to be to create a competitor. Sugar cane growers should be allowed everywhere to make sugar/gur and candy. They should be allowed to sell sugar cane wherever they can find a customer. We should also consume the local variant gur, instead of sugar. The latter is healthier.

The cane grower has to be protected from being short-changed and it should also be ensured that he is paid according to the actual weight of his crop.

No subsidy should be paid on the export of sugar to anyone. The entire sugar industry has to be permitted to operate through market forces.

Hadi Iqbal Hussain

Lahore

Published in Dawn, June 6th, 2020