The Pakistan government imported an additional 76,752 metric tonnes of sugar in November to meet domestic requirements, according to figures released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, reports mmnews.tv.
The data show that during the first five months of the current financial year, from July to November, total sugar imports reached 308,142 metric tonnes. In November alone, the imported sugar was valued at Rs12.66 billion.
Overall, sugar imports during the July–November period amounted to Rs49.42 billion, the statistics revealed.
Earlier, on July 4, the government had approved the import of 500,000 tonnes of sugar to address shortages in the local market.
The decision to import sugar had been opposed by the Pakistan Sugar Mills Association, which raised concerns over its impact on the domestic industry.
The imports were made at the government level through the Trading Corporation of Pakistan (TCP). The federal government also provided tax exemptions on imported sugar to facilitate the process.
