The Union of Small and Medium Enterprises (UNISAME) has urged the government to direct the sugar mills to release sugar to the SME merchants who are holding delivery orders enabling them to supply sugar to the retailers without any break.

President Unisame Zulfikar Thaver said there is sufficient sugar lying in warehouses but the stockists are withholding sales to benefit due to the increase in international price of sugar which has jumped
to $525 per metric tonne and accordingly the landed cost of imported sugar would come to Rs55 per kilogram and even raw sugar is priced not less than $484 per metric tonne in international market.

He said despite a short crop this year and smuggling to Afghanistan there is enough sugar in the country and there is no need for importing sugar which is produced between 4 to 5 million tonnes every year from November to April and sold throughout the year.

The union has invited the attention of the government that profiteers have hoarded sugar to make handsome gains due to the increase in international price and have stopped deliveries to the wholesalers and disturbed the entire supply chain. 

He further said that as   the holy month of Ramadan is fast approaching and  the short supply of  sugar will cause a lot of hardships to the lower income group.