ISLAMABAD: Customers were forced to buy sugar from the open markets at high prices due to the unavailability of the commodity at the Utility Stores Corporation (USC) outlets across the country.
Sources said the situation has created problems for citizens, who are forced to buy it from the shops for Rs30-35 more compared to what it was being sold for in utility stores.
According to reliable sources, the Utility Stores Corporation, do not have enough sugar stock available in the country and in order to remedy the situation,
Sources claimed that the USC currently lacks the required stock of sugar, due to which six tenders have been issued to purchase the commodity. However, only 20,000 metric tonnes of sugar were bought on the last tender. They further confirmed that it may take one to two weeks for local sugar to be available in stores.
On the other hand, the Trading Corporation of Pakistan will issue sugar tenders on March 2 and even after a deal is signed to import the commodity, it may take up to two weeks for sugar to land in Pakistan, sources said.
Sources said the USC store in different cities of the country had a shortage of sugar for the last seven days. The customers said that it was the government’s responsibility to either control the prices in the open market or ensure the availability of all items at all stores across the country.
They said that per kilogram of sugar in the open market was around Rs35 while at the utility stores it is much cheaper.
