Islamabad: The Pakistan Sugar Mills Association (PSMA) has once again voiced strong concern over the continued closure of the Federal Board of Revenue’s (FBR) sales tracking system portals installed in sugar mills. The association said the issue remains unresolved and is disrupting the supply of sugar across the country, reports The Nation.
A PSMA spokesperson said on Friday that the association had written another letter to the Federal Finance Minister and the National Food Security Minister, urging them to address the shutdown of the FBR’s S-Track portal.
According to the spokesperson, the repeated blocking of these portals appears to support the sale of sugar imported through the Trading Corporation of Pakistan (TCP) by waiving all duties and taxes. However, this has not helped stabilize sugar prices. Instead, halting the movement of locally produced sugar and promoting imported sugar could further disturb the market and push prices up.
The spokesperson added that sugar mills with available stock are unable to dispatch their product because trucks are not being allowed to leave mill premises due to the portal’s closure. This has prevented mills from clearing their inventory and creating space for the upcoming crushing season. Delays in dispatches are also affecting mills’ ability to repay bank loans and make timely payments to sugarcane farmers.
PSMA warned that such administrative actions could severely harm the sugar industry, as several mills may face financial difficulties and struggle to begin crushing on time. The association cautioned that this situation could lead to a sugar shortage and price hike in the market — a crisis for which the industry should not be blamed.
The PSMA has once again urged the government to take immediate action and remove all restrictions to ensure the smooth flow of sugar across the country.