Sugar dealers seek government permission for purchase of sugar from open market

Peshawar: September 07 = As government could not succeeded to over come the sugar crisis, sugar dealers on Monday put forwarded new proposal asking the government to allow them purchase sugar from open market which would enable them to sell sugar at Rs 47 per KG in the market.

“There is no crisis or shortage of sugar in the market however banning purchase of sugar from the open market has caused surge in prices and provided the profiteers the chance to sell sugar at high price therefore we can assure to bring sugar prices down if we are allowed to purchase sugar from Punjab and Sind, which will be available in Peshawar market at Rs 4700 per 100 Kg,” Sugar Dealers Association’s president Haji Shakir –u-llah and general secretary Wisal Mohammad Khan told a news conference.

Sugar dealers while holding sugar mill owners responsible for the crisis said dealers could not ensure availability of sugar in the market if mills are not ready to market the sugar being stored at stockrooms. “Only one of the sugar mills in Khazana Peshawar is providing sugar to the dealers on government rate whereas, the remaining including Mardan, Chasma, Chasman-1 and other sugar mills are not selling its sugar to the dealers except Trading corporation of Pakistan (TCP) whereas Khazana alone could not fulfill demand of the whole sell market of NWFP.

Government, they said has divided Peshawar and its suburb areas in to 18 sectors and daily 240 bags of sugar at every sector are being sold to the local shopkeepers however still sugar crisis could not be controlled. “Even sweat and backer are also provided 720 bags to use it in backing of sweat for Eid festival but still sugar to the consumers is not available at government fixed rate,” they said adding 12000 bags are required to fulfill daily demand of sugar in the whole sale market of Peshawar.

Proposing government to lift ban over purchase of sugar from open market, sugar dealers said if they were allowed to purchase sugar from open market of Sindh and Punjab they could assure the administration that prices of sugar will ultimately come down and there will be no need of government raids and checking system. “sugar is available at Rs 4500 per 100 Kg in open market of Punjab and Sindh and from Punjab Rs 150 will be added per bag as transportation charges therefore it will be available at Rs 4700 per 100 Kg to every one,” Shakir ullah, the care taker president of Sugar Dealers Association assured saying there is no other way to control the prices in the market.

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