Re: Sugar crisis in Pakistan
who do u think is going to stop it?
Just a single person could do it if he is loyal/faithfull/sincer/honest and could feel the painfull problems of nations.. for time being we dont have. Khuda ne us qoum ki halat nahi badli..Na ho jis ko kheyal apni halat badalne ka
Re: Sugar crisis in Pakistan
I think this is good comment on the situation:
http://public.dawn.com/2010/11/10/sugar-barons’-clout-in-govt-blamed-for-crisis.html
ISLAMABAD: The Network for Consumer Protection has expressed concern at the dramatic increase in sugar price and alleged that sugar barons having clout in the government have created an artificial shortage.
Its executive coordinator, Dr Arif Azad, said roots of the problem lay in the sugar lobby’s political clout in determining sugar output, timing of import and scaremongering about rises in prices.
“For the sake of protecting consumers from artificially inflated sugar price rises, the government has to bring in regulatory measures to rein in the power of sugar lobby,” he said.
He called for an investigation to fix responsibility for a ‘criminal’ delay in sugar import which, he said, had given a chance to mill owners to sell the commodity at high prices.
Re: Sugar crisis in Pakistan
only NomiCA can stop it …
Re: Sugar crisis in Pakistan
Everyone has their share. The hoarders, the sugar cartel, the federal government, the provincial governments, etc.
But everyone’s efforts to create crisis could have averted if federal ministers had imported sugar at the right time.
Some heads should role on this criminal negligence by federal ministers. If nothing is done then it will expose, yet again, the ugly face of this awami hukoomat.
http://public.dawn.com/2010/11/11/minister-delayed-funds-for-import-2.html
Minister delayed funds for import
LAHORE: Stuck in a financial quagmire, the federal government declined to provide money to the Trading Corporation in June for importing sugar.
According to sources in the finance ministry, the TCP came up with a schedule to open letters of credit (LCs) to line up 525,000 tons of sugar imports for October and November, which were predicted to be crucial months.
The corporation pleaded that it had exhausted its Rs110 billion credit line with banks and was short of money to open LCs for imports, as ordered by the government. However, the finance ministry refused the money point blank, the sources said.
At that time, the international price was around 18 cents per pound which has now risen to a staggering 33 cents. The import would not have cost more than Rs55 per kilogramme, but now it is Rs90.
“Abdul Hafeez Shaikh had just taken over as the Finance Minister and was trying to bring financial discipline in accordance with his own preferences,” an official said.
“People in the ministry think that he could not, at that point of time, figure out the social, political and economic cost of his step and with single-minded focus on savings he refused the money,” he said.
“It is now proving to be a suicidal step where everyone, except for the sugar millers and traders, is a loser. The government tried belatedly to line up import, but it failed to bring in sugar when required and is paying the political cost,” the official added.
According to the sources, the TCP kept pressing the government and ultimately some money was arranged as ‘bridge finance’ in late August. But two crucial months were lost by then and the delay is hurting the people now.
TCP’s imports are now lined up for November and December, when the domestic market will already be brimming with sugar in the middle of the crushing season, they said.