The people will buy sugar at Rs 47 per kg for the next three months as the federal government has fixed the ex-mill sugar price at Rs 45 per kg. A high-level meeting chaired by the Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani directed the Ministry of Production and Industry to sell sugar at Rs 38 per kg on Utility Stores. The PM also ordered to devise solid system to monitor the sugar prices with cooperation of the provincial governments. The meeting decided that inter-provincial transportation of sugar and wheat would not be banned and for three months half general sales tax would be received on sugar. The meeting agreed that next session of all the four chief ministers would be held in next 15 days in which long-term strategy regarding sugar prices would be devised. A sugar crisis was generated in the country during last week after which the government raided various go-downs across the country and seized hundreds of thousands of sugar bags. Later, the government bowed before the mill owners and had to have negotiations with them and raids on the go-downs were stopped. The Federal Government then decided the sugar prices in consultation with the sugar mill owners which the Punjab Chief Minister said were announced without taking him into confidence. CM Shahbaz Sharif announced to provide sugar at lower rates than announced by the federal government in Punjab. The PM then announced to overcome the sugar crisis and a high level meeting was called which now has finally set the sugar prices at Rs 48 for the people.
