Sweetener's import raises eyebrows

The Express Tribune reported that the government will allow sugar exports to clear imported stock that has gone unsold, a step that has prompted doubts over how supply, stock levels and local use are tracked. Those doubts extend to the Sugar Advisory Board and the food ministry, which oversee sugar inventories nationally.

Output in the 2024-25 crushing season fell 15% due to heat waves, crop diseases and other factors, pushing sugar prices up domestically. To stabilise prices, the cabinet approved imports of up to 500,000 metric tons in June 2025 on the Economic Coordination Committee's recommendation, but only 300,000 tons were brought in. The Trading Corporation of Pakistan (TCP) handled that volume, and officials later found the imports could not be consumed.

Briefing the cabinet, the deputy prime minister said about 192,000 tons had been sold domestically, while roughly 108,000 tons remained with TCP and needed urgent disposal as its shelf life approached. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said the export was being handled transparently to avoid losses, and he criticised what he called fallacious media reports. The deputy PM added that higher international prices could help recoup the landed and carrying expenses of the imported stock.