Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Food Security, Jamshed Iqbal Cheema, revealed on Tuesday that the government expects sugarcane yield to exceed 100 million tonnes this year.
The government estimates to produce 9 million tonnes of sugar with the bumper sugarcane crop, and sugar prices are expected to start declining from 1st November onwards. Presently, the national sugar demand sits at 6.1 million tonnes, but the surplus produce this year will meet the country’s needs for a year and a half, he said.
Detailing the specifics, the SAPM on Food Security explained that the government had taken swift notice of the struggling sugarcane farmers and initiated urgent measures to help address their issues in a timely manner. Moreover, he mentioned the importance of targeted subsidies on basic food items and said the government is taking all possible measures to aptly manage the prices of sugar, ghee, and pulses, to lessen the burden on the people. “Prices of sugar, ghee, and pulses will come down soon like flour prices,” he remarked.
“Sugar will be sold at Rs. 80 or less under the control and monitoring of the government so that no one can sell it at expensive rates,” he said. Further adding, “At present, we are supplying sugar at Rs. 90 per kg, which is much less than the international market. Next year, we will sell sugar at a lower price with a clear difference in the global market.”
The SAPM on Food Security said the government would award numerous incentives for the production of sugarcane, and sugar mills and traders would be able to earn and help configure justified rates for farmers.
He also remarked that the minimum and maximum prices of sugarcane and sugar would be fixed, and the price of all food items would be decided in accordance with the purchasing power of the people.
Yah… only if government manage to pay the former their money intime. And don’t handicapped by suger Mill mafia as always.