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Govt seeking long-term

solutions to sugar sector

problems: Razak

LAHORE: Federal Miniser for Commerce and Industries, Abdul Razak Dawood, on Saturday said that the present government is working on long-term solutions to the problems confronting the sugar sector in Pakistan.

Talking to a 16-member delegation of Pakistan Sugar Mills Association (PSMA) at the headoffice of Small and Medium Enterprises Development Authority, (Smeda) here, he said that a committee would be formed to come up some long-term policy regarding the sugar industry.

"PSMA should nominate some of its members for the committee,":said Dawood..

The PSMA delegation led by Mian Muhammad Ashraf and Ashraf Tabani apprised the minister about the problems facing the sugar industry in Pakistan especially with reference to the exemption from sales tax on bagasse, imposition of Central Excise Duty on export of sugar through land routes and quantification of sugar imports to Pakistan.

Razak Dawood also chaired a meeting at the Smeda headoffice here on Saturday.

According to official sources, the meeting discussed a number of matters pertaining to the textile sector including finalisation of the textile policy for the year 2001 year.

Among others who attended the meeting were Federal Commerce Secretary, Mirza Qamar Baig, Punjab Agriculture Secretary Rana Nasim Ahmad, Textile Policy Committee Chairman, Tariq Sayeed Saigol, Smeda's sectoral head on agriculture, Iqbal Mustafa, eminent economist, Dr Salman Shah and officials of Trading Corporation of Pakistan (TCP).

The participants of the meeting also discussed the role of TCP in cotton produce procurement and incentives for the cotton growers to be incorporated in the forthcoming textile policy.ÑAPP