Sugar price in capital soars to Rs210 per kg
According to retailers the distributors have stopped supplying sugar to the shopkeepers even at Rs9,000 per bag of 50kg which prior to government permission to the sugar millers was selling at Rs6,000 a year ago, but after attaining export permission and successfully exporting the allowed quantity, the millers gradually started escalating sugar prices and recently in wholesale market it touched Rs9,400 mark.
The retail sugar prices after Ramadan 2025 have witnessed a sharp increase and reached from Rs135 per kg to Rs210 per kg mark an increase Rs75 per kg or 55 percent.
Shopkeepers said that for a few days, the commodity price after government action came down but consequently owing to supply shortage by the sugar millers, the stockists/distributors also stopped supply of the commodity to the retailers, as a result now prices have touched all time high even on superstores.
Business Recorder in April 2024 had mentioned the plan of the sugar industry of taking the ex-mill sugar price to Rs170 per 50 kg bag, saying that sugarcane prices have gone up from Rs350 per 40kg to Rs450. In a meeting of Sugar Advisory Board held on April 2024 'the millers argued that in 2023 sugarcane price was Rs350 per 40kg which now has reached to Rs450 per 40kg and production cost of sugar at present stands at Rs170 per kg while in retail market refined sugar was available in the range of Rs145-150 per kg which is lowest price in the world'.
The Pakistan Sugar Mills Association (PSMA) prior to attaining sugar export permission had ensured the government of devising a mechanism where by price stability of sugar will be ensured before exporting surplus stock produced in the country. As per April 2024 SAB's meeting, the provinces and PSMA would ensure smooth supply of commodity in the domestic market and the price stability till start of next crushing season. It was agreed to seek authenticated data on available sugar stocks, including expected sugar production from beet, and recommendations regarding export from provinces before taking any final decision on the export of sugar.
The representatives of PSMA informed the government officials that Pakistan at present has around 1.6 million tons of additional sugar which should be exported. The PSMA has asked the government to allow export of one million tons of refined sugar in first phase which will bring around $650-700 million foreign exchange for the country and rest of the 0.6 million tons sugar be exported in two phases in May and June 2024.
The PSMA in 2024 also informed the government that if the government did not allow sugar export it will result in the smuggling of the commodity to Iran, Afghanistan and other countries as a result the country will be deprive of the precious foreign exchange while smugglers will take advantage of the situation.
According to the officials, locally industrial sector was consuming 85 percent of the sugar while the rest 15 percent was of domestic use.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
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