PAC lambasts govt's faulty sugar policies
As a sugar crisis persists in the country, officials on Tuesday shared with the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) the names of the 67 sugar mills that exported 750,000 tons of sugar worth Rs111 billion to 21 countries over the past year.
During a PAC meeting chaired by Junaid Akbar, the industries and production secretary said in 2023-24 Pakistan had surplus sugar of 1.3 million tons, of which 790,000 tons were approved for export.
He said that 1.9 million tons of sugar was still available in stock, which could last until November, adding that the sugar crushing season runs from November 15 to March 15.
Despite these figures, several committee members expressed dissatisfaction with the situation.
The secretary for national food security claimed that the average retail price of sugar was Rs173 per kg but members, including Omar Ayub, said sugar was sold for more than Rs200 in their constituencies.
Senator Fauzia Arshad reported that sugar was nearly unavailable in the market and what was available was unaffordable for ordinary citizens.
PAC members heavily criticized the government's inconsistent sugar policiesexporting sugar one year and importing it the next. MNA Khawaja Shehraz Mehmood called it a "daylight robbery" and said that the same companies making huge profits from exports are now benefiting from imports.
MNA Amir Dogar made direct allegations against political leaders, claiming that the highest number of sugar mills are owned by President Asif Ali Zardari, politician Jahangir Tareen, and the Sharif family.
He alleged that Rs287 billion had gone into the pockets of a few powerful individuals. The remarks caused heated arguments between Dogar and other members, including Senator Afnan Ullah of the PML-N and Shazia Marri of the PPP, who demanded that such serious claims be backed with evidence.
Further tension arose when Chairman Akbar questioned why the list of sugar mill owners and directors had not been submitted to the committee earlier.
Officials from the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) assured that the list has now been obtained and will be presented soon. He questioned how long sugar remains usable in storage, to which the secretary of industries responded that sugar begins to spoil after 3-4 months unless special precautions are taken.
The meeting was told that the government is planning to import 300,000 tons of sugar to meet demand before the next crushing season begins. Lawmakers demanded that the government ensure this import does not harm farmers and that sugar is not brought in from countries where it was earlier exported.
The PAC directed all relevant ministries to submit detailed reports and warned that future briefings would not be accepted without complete documentation.
According to documents seen by The Express Tribune, JDW Sugar Mills topped the list by exporting 73,000 metric tons of sugar worth Rs11.1 billion. Tandlianwala Sugar Mills came second with 41,412 metric tons worth Rs5.98 billion.
Ramzan Sugar Mills exported sugar worth Rs2.41 billion. Chaudhry Sugar Mills exported sugar worth Rs1.49 billion while Al-Arabia Sugar Mills exported Rs1.2 billion worth of sugar. The Auditor General of Pakistan revealed that sugar mills earned over Rs300 billion from recent sugar price fluctuations.
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