Sugar In Short Supply Across Pakistan: Consumers At Utility Stores Affected

Utility Stores across Pakistan appear to be facing a short supply of sugar, with consumers having to pay up to Rs 35 extra per kilogram. Suppliers have informed Utility Stores that further supplies will be unavailable for the coming seven days. With tenders being issued for restoring the supply over the next few days, it could take anywhere from 1-2 weeks before local sugar becomes available in Utility Stores again.

The estimated domestic consumption of Pakistan is around 5.2 million metric tonnes (mmt) per year.

This supply problem comes in the wake of last year's crisis when amid high sugar prices, the government of Prime Minister Imran Khan ordered law enforcement agencies to probe what was being described as a “sugar mafia” in the country. It had been alleged that senior members of the ruling party such as former general secretary Jahangir Tareen and a brother of minister Khusro Bakhtiar were among the beneficiaries of the sugar crisis.