In the beginning of the year, the ECC (Economic Coordination Committee) held a meeting, in which they decided that there was ample stock of sugar available in Pakistan, to ensure stable rates for the commodity throughout the year. The ECC therefore allowed the export of 500,000 tons of sugar from the country, and to facilitate the sugar mills further, they also allowed subsidies of 13 rupees per kilogram, which totals to 650 Crore rupees for the sugar mills. But after a few months, our country faced a sugar shortage and the price of the commodity was increased by more than 50 percent. Ironically sugar was available at a much cheaper price in the international market, but due to extremely high import taxes it was not feasible to import it.
I would like to request the government of Pakistan to find out why the export of sugar was allowed. And they should also create a mechanism where, firstly, such important decisions are not made by committees without any guarantees from industry that such shortages will not occur in the year and, secondly, the government officials that make such ridiculous and callous decisions about our country’s future should be held responsible and penalized, to stop this endless cycle of repeated disastrous policy decisions by similar committees in the future.
ENGR. SHAHRYAR KHAN BASEER,
Peshawar, November 14.