Govt warns of action against sugar overpricing

Federal Minister for National Food Security and Research Rana Tanveer Hussain has said that the government will initiate a countrywide crackdown against the mills involved in hoarding, profiteering or overpricing, if the Pakistan Sugar Mills Association (PSMA) failed to play its due role in ensuring compliance with the notified price among its members. Rana Tanveer chaired a high-level meeting on Tuesday with representatives of PSMA, provincial agricultural departments and key stakeholders from across the country. The meeting was convened to review the current sugar price situation and compliance with the government's notified ex-mill rate of Rs165 per kilogramme. The minister expressed grave concern over reports that several sugar mills were not complying with the fixed price and were contributing to artificial inflation in the market. He categorically said that the government would not tolerate such manipulation of the market, which places an unfair burden on the common man.