RAWALPINDI: Federal Minister for National Food Security and Research Sikandar Hayat Khan Bosan said Pakistan is among the 6th Sugar exporting countries since 2012 as its production has risen to 7.1 million tons against domestic requirement of 5.1 million tons.He was addressing at the concluding session of Pakistan Society of Sugar Technologists here on Tuesday.
The minister said Pakistan inherited two sugar mills at the time of independence which now have risen to 90 mills but we are still not competitive in the world market. He appreciated the role of sugar mills owners for investing to improve per hectare yield of sugarcane.
Sikandar urged the private sector to work with public sector to help reduce cost of production for becoming a competitor in the world market. Commenting on the role of farmers, he said they are the real force and delayed payments to the growers by the mills and the role of middle man is a major obstacle in the growth of sugar industry in the country. “Sugar industry is the second largest agro-based industry in the country and providing jobs in rural areas, we want them to flourish but at the same time we also want them to be more efficient”, he added. Later the minister distributed awards among different companies for their performance in enhancing sugar production.
