Sugar crisis not a scandal but result of climate change, says PM’s coordinator

Prime Minister’s Coordinator Rana Ehsan Afzal has attributed the ongoing sugar crisis to climate change rather than any financial scandal.

Speaking to Geo News, Afzal stated that sugar prices in the country currently range between Rs173 to Rs185 per kilogram.

He added that the ongoing crackdown against profiteers has contributed to a reduction in sugar prices.

He further clarified that the ex-mill price of sugar stands at Rs165 per kilogram and that strict monitoring of market prices is underway.

He assured that strict action will be taken against those involved in profiteering.

Read more: Pakistan seizes sugar stocks amid crisis, puts 18 mill owners on ECL

Dispelling speculations of any scandal behind the shortage, Rana Ehsan Afzal explained that the drop in sugar production is due to reduced sugarcane yield caused by climate change, not mismanagement or corruption.

Commenting on the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) protests, the PM’s coordinator said that any violation of the law would result in arrest.

He said that the government is fully prepared and will not allow anyone to take the law into their own hands. Blocking roads, he asserted, does not constitute peaceful protest.