ISLAMABAD: Sugar prices across Pakistan have surged to unprecedented levels, with rates reaching as high as Rs195 per kilogram in some cities, fuelling public outcry and raising concerns about unchecked profiteering by sugar cartels.
According to the latest data released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) the maximum price of sugar in the country has reached Rs195 per kg. The average national price of sugar has risen by Rs3.77 in just one week, pushing the rate to Rs180.93 per kg compared to Rs177.16 the previous week.
A year ago, the average stood at Rs143.38 per kg.
According to reports, Islamabad recorded the highest price, with sugar being sold at Rs195 per kg. In Rawalpindi, Karachi, and Peshawar, the commodity is retailing at Rs190 per kg, while prices in Quetta and Khuzdar hover around Rs186 and Rs185, respectively.
Elsewhere, consumers in Sialkot are paying Rs185 per kg, while in Hyderabad, Bahawalpur, Multan, and Bannu, prices have climbed to Rs180. In Sukkur and Larkana, the rate stands at Rs175 per kg.
Heavy sugar exports led to domestic shortage
The government gave repeated assurances and claimed to have been making splendid efforts to curb the rising prices, but onground facts narrates a different story.
The government gave repeated assurances and claimed to be making splendid efforts to curb rising sugar prices, but the facts on the ground tell a different story. It approved the export of 765,000 metric tonnes of sugar from July to May, generating over Rs112 billion in revenue. This nearly 2,200 per cent surge in exports has largely contributed to the domestic shortage and soaring prices
The government is now planning to import 750,000 tonnes of sugar “to ease the shortage and stabilise the market”, officials at the Ministry of National Food Security have confirmed.
Of this, 250,000 metric tonnes of raw sugar are awaiting cabinet approval, while the import of 500,000 metric tonnes of refined sugar has already been approved in principle.
With inflation already squeezing household budgets, the dramatic rise in sugar prices is placing further strain on consumers, thanks to cruel government policies that consistently support and benefit the powerful sugar mafia in the country.