ISLAMABAD: The Competition Commission of Pakistan (CCP) on Thursday held an open hearing to discuss the competition concerns in the sugar sector and to get the viewpoint of all stakeholders on relevant issues.
The CCP’s bench, comprising chairperson Vadiyya Khalil, and members Dr Shehzad Ansar and Dr Muhammad Saleem, conducted the open hearing that was attended by the representatives of sugar cane growers, sugar mills, federal ministries, provincial departments, and public and private sector trading and retail organizations, said a press release.
Chairperson Khalil, in her opening remarks, said that CCP was not just a market enforcer but also a market developer and that the open hearing had been convened to discuss and address competition issues in the sugar sector.
The participants from the farmers’ community highlighted the payment issues and other difficulties faced by the sugarcane farmers. They called for urgent intervention at the necessary levels of government to resolve their problems.
Representatives of the Pakistan Sugar Mills Association called for revamping the whole system of sugarcane sector to protect the interests of all stakeholders. They highlighted the problems faced by the millers and the problems resulting from the differences in supply and demand of the commodity.
The representatives of Federal Ministry of Commerce, Trading Corporation of Pakistan, National Food Security and Research Food Department Punjab, Director Marketing, Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Cooperatives, Agriculture Research Institute Sindh, explained their respective positions on the matter.
Chairperson Khalil thanked all the participants and said that after analyzing the deliberations of the open hearing and other pertinent facts, the CCP would issue its opinion into the matter.
