Millers begin lobbying for 1m tonnes sugar export

With sugar prices already up 42 per cent over last year, the influential sugar industry has started lobbying for major exports – at least one million tonnes – to “ensure payments to farmers”. Informed sources said the sugar millers had already activated their political channels in the new government to secure permission for sugar exports and some procurements by the government for strategic reserves to ensure higher profitability notwithstanding the inflationary pressures in the country. In a formal letter, the Pakistan Sugar Mills Association (PSMA) also asked Commerce Minister Jam Kamal to start the approval process for exporting at least one million tonnes in two equal instalments as the crop output was almost 1.5 million tonnes higher than the domestic needs.