LAHORE : April 16, 2023: As Pakistani nation is already bracing with a mutli- dimensional crisis a crisis of sugar shortage is yet waiting to test its patience in very near future.
A team of Pakistan Sugar Mills Association (PSMA) spelled the bean of looming sugar crisis during a meeting with the officials of the Food Department and other relevant departments of the government of Punjab held in Lahore a couple of day ago.
The PSMA team had clearly and loudly conveyed to the official team in the meeting that unbridled and unabated sugar smuggling to Iran and Afghanistan and even beyond has propelled the chances of sugar shortage in domestic market in two to three months and it will stoke the rates of the commodity to all time high in Pakistan’s history.
PSMA team, according to NEWSMAN sources, blamed poor monitoring and checking at bordering points with Iran and Afghanistan for huge smuggling of white refined sugar from Pakistan to these two countries.
One of the participants of the meeting told NEWSMAN on condition not to mention his name in the story that the officials of the Punjab government who attended the meeting including Food Secretary Punjab acknowledged smuggling of sugar from Pakistan to Iran and Afghanistan but they expressed total helpless in controlling illegal outpouring of sugar to these two neighbouring countries.
The official team sought help of PSMA to check smuggling of the commodity to Iran and Afghanistan . Since checking of sugar smuggling does not fall in the ambit of PSMA it gave the same argument in response to the request made by the official team to play a role in checking smuggling of sugar to the neighbouring countries.
“How can we play a role in curbing sugar smuggling as we are producer and do not have any network or authority to check unlawful transportation of sugar to neighbouring countries including Iran and Afghanistan and we gave the same response to the officials demand in this regard”, a PSMA team member said recalling proceedings of the latest meeting held in Lahore to discuss reasons behind quick surge in sugar rates in domestic market.
Sugar rates have gone up to Rs 130 per kg from Rs 105 of last fortnight at retail level and upward trend may speed up as huge quantity of the stocks available in hand to cater local demand is being smuggled to Iran and Afghanistan .
Sugar smuggling from Pakistan in the last few months has caused huge loss to the national kitty. But since the agencies which are supposed to stop smuggling of sugar have become a party to this dirty business for their petty benefits there seems no end to this unlawful rather anti state activity.
Independent sources confirmed to NEWSMAN that around 0.5 million tons sugar which was produced by the mills mostly functioning in Sindh and owned by a powerful figure of Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) government out of the books is being smuggled to the neighbouring countries.
According to the rates of $ 650 per ton of sugar in global market , smuggling of 0.5 million tons has caused loss of around $ 350 million to the national exchequer. All agencies , relevant authorities including border security , Customs, Frontier Constabulary and at least half a dozen other are not taking any action to stop sugar smuggling .
Hundreds of trucks and long wheelers loaded with sugar and fertilizers are passing through different routes identified for smuggling in Balochistan to Iran and Afghanistan.
Interior minister, Rana Sanaullah , had also called in an emergent meeting and he ordered to check sugar and fertilizer smuggling to Iran and Afghanistan but his orders are yet to stop this illegal business .
Seeing Public pressure due to quick surge in sugar prices , prime minister , Shahbaz Sharif , has convened an emergent meeting to seek report on sugar smuggling and workout some workable strategy to curb smuggling of sugar.