Sugar prices surge across Pakistan ahead of Ramazan

The Pakistan Bureau of Statistics has released data on sugar prices, stating an increase over the past 12 weeks.

According to PBS, sugar prices have surged by Rs 23.42 per kilogram during the past 12 weeks.

The data shows that sugar prices have risen from Rs 131.85 per kilogram to Rs 155.27 per kilogram. In some cities, prices have reached as high as Rs 165 per kilogram.

Consumers in Islamabad and Peshawar are paying the highest price for sugar, with rates standing at Rs 165 per kilogram. In Rawalpindi, Lahore, Multan, and Karachi, sugar is available at Rs 160 per kilogram.

The PBS data also revealed that sugar prices vary across different cities, with Quetta, Sialkot, and Khuzdar recording prices of Rs 160, Rs 158, and Rs 158 per kilogram, respectively.

In other cities, including Gujranwala, Faisalabad, and Bahawalpur, sugar prices stand at Rs 155 per kilogram.

This development came after the federal government decided to provide sugar at Rs 130 per kg during Ramadan.

Minister for Industries and Production Rana Tanveer Hussain directed Chief Secretaries of all provinces to establish sugar stalls at the municipal council level and ensure uninterrupted supply of the commodity at Rs 130 during the holy month of Ramadan.

Earlier, a report said that the government has reportedly failed in convincing millers to lower sugar prices ahead of the holy month of Ramadan.

As per details, the Pakistan government is trying to lower the sugar prices, but millers are not interested, the sources said.

Currently, sugar is being sold at Rs 155 per kg, but the government wants to lower the prices of the commodity to Rs 120 per kg. However, the sugar millers are of the view that the per kg cost of the commodity is Rs 170.

They further say the sugar millers demanded that the government should abolish 18 percent General Sales Tax (GST) on sugar as this is the only way to lower the prices by Rs 25 per kg.