Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: In response to a concern expressed by both treasury and opposition benches on Tuesday, National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq constituted a committee to resolve the sugarcane price issue.

A deadlock persists between the sugarcane growers and mill owners on the prices as the sugar mill owners are avoiding starting crushing because they had surplus sugar of last year stocks in their godowns.

The committee constituted to resolve the issue will be headed by the Minister for Commerce and Textile while other members include the Minister for Industries and Production, Minister for Finance and Minister for National Food Security and Research.

Earlier, the Leader of the Opposition Syed Khurshid Ahmed Shah strongly criticised the government and said farmers are on the roads from last five years and nobody is willing to redress their grievances.

“I have already asked the Prime Minister and Minister of Commerce to resolve the issue but nothing has been finalised so far”, he said and added: “The matter is of serious nature as we have agro based industry.”

He informed the house that Sindh government had agreed to pay 8.6 billion rupees as subsidy for announcing support price of sugarcane but the Federal government is avoiding to contribute its fifty percent share in this regard.

“We tried that the National Assembly should continue its business to improve its credibility among masses but I think we have been failed”, he expressed his anger again over not including FATA reforms bill into agenda and staged a walkout from the proceedings.

Several other members also highlighted the hardships faced by sugarcane growers and demanded corrected measures on prompt bases.

The Federal Minister for National Food Security and Research Sikandar Hayat Khan Bosan in his response has stated that his ministry has no direct role in said issue because after the devolution of powers, the provincial governments are mandated to set sugar prices under sugar control laws while the Ministry of Industries and Production is responsible to regulate sugar mills across the country.

“The issue persists because of 1.5 million ton surplus sugar available in the country and sugar mills wants a permission to export it”, he said while expressing his helplessness as according to him this matters is related to the Ministry of Commerce.

Responding on the issue of subsidy to offer a support price of sugarcane, Mr. Bosan were of the view that it is in the domain Finance Ministry to take a final decision.

He said being a minister for food security he is available to play his role but requested from the Speaker to constitute an inter-ministerial committee to resolve the matter.

Resultantly, the Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq constituted a committee under the chair of Federal Minister for Commerce and Textile Muhammad Pervaiz Malik and directed him to resolve the matter.

Meanwhile, the Federal Minister for Railway Khawaja Saad Rafique and Minister for Privatization Daniyal Aziz used the floor of the house to strongly criticise the role of judiciary and accused the apex court for making discrimination while finalising the cases of outset premier Nawaz Sharif and the party head of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Imran Khan.

The National Assembly did not take up agenda on Private Member’s Day and debated the aforementioned issues. The proceeding of the house was adjourned to meet again today.

Published in Daily Times, December 20^th 2017.