KARACHI – The Pakistan Economy Watch (PEW) on Wednesday said continued hike in the price of sugar in acceptable which amounts to the exploitation of masses reeling under inflation.
The sugar which was being sold at a price of Rs45 per Kg is now available at Rs80 which is condemnable, it said.
The price of sugar is being increased without justification, while the sugarcane growers are not benefitting from it, said Dr. Murtaza Mughal, President PEW.
The growers are facing exploitation by the sugar millers which is not being noticed, he added.
Dr. Murtaza Mughal said that the price of urea is set to increase by Rs200 per bag which will hit the agriculture sector and increase the cost of production.
He noted that the government has set a target of inflation at six percent but it jumped to double-digit in February and now it is at 11.63 percent while prices of many items have registered 30 to 40 percent increase.
Price of every necessity is increasing while the role of the government is confined just to issue daily rates and leaving the consumers at the mercy of shopkeepers.
This is despite the fact that except for a few limited items, the bulk of the food and necessary edible supplies are domestically produced but not properly managed.
The producers are allowed to sell their products in the market at any price they can derive as the administrative mechanism exists in books only.
