Govt rejects sugar export demand

The government on Monday turned down the demand of sugar millers for export of 1 million tons of sugar and said that surplus stocks were not independently “verifiable”, staving off the pressure for now. A meeting between Finance Minister Ishaq Dar and the representatives of Pakistan Sugar Mills Association (PSMA) remained inconclusive. In the huddle, Minister for National Food Security and Research Tariq Bashir Cheema contested the claim that about 1.065 million tons of sugar was available in the country. “Export permission has not been given and we will meet again on Thursday,” Cheema told The Express Tribune after the meeting. He added that until the sugar stocks were verified independently, the government would not grant permission for export. “Floods have washed away 40% of sugarcane crop in Sindh and we also have to consider the sugar requirement of next year before giving the go-ahead for export,” he emphasised. PSMA has threatened that they will not start the new sugarcane crushing season until the export of 1 million tons is allowed. Its chairman also contested Cheema’s viewpoint during the meeting.