Surplus sugar production is expected this year to tackle with the domestic requirements as well as for export whereas about 1.2 million tons of carry forward stocks of last year will also be available for local consumption.
About five million tons sugar production is expected this year as compared to the production of 5.7 million tons of same period of last year, said Agriculture Policy Institute (API) Chairman Abdul Rahuf Chaudhry.
He said that sugarcane production was expected to reach 63 million tons as against the last year’s crop output of 67 million tons which was slightly lower than the crop production of last year.
The country consumes about 4.5 million tons of sugar annually and 350,000 tons per month with an average per capita consumption of 21 kg besides keeping a share for utility Stores Corporation for Ramzan Package, he added.
He said the provincial governments of Sindh and Punjab had also announced the official fixed rates of sugarcane to protect the farmers from the exploitation of middle man and for ensuring the proper rate of return of their produces.
In Sindh province, sugarcane rate was fixed at Rs 182 per 40 kg from earlier price of 172 per 40 kg while Punjab had announced Rs 180 per 40 kg, he added.
The federal government has also directed the provincial sugarcane commissioners for ensuring timely payments to farmers for enabling them to prepare for the cultivation of next major cash crop wheat as the government has also increased the wheat supports price from Rs 1,200 per 40 kg to 1,300 per 40 kg.
The API head informed that crop output was satisfactory in Sindh but relatively down in Punjab due to delay in payments from the millers to farmers, adding that the provincial governments were also directed to devise a proper mechanism for timely payments to farmers.
