Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar directs authorities to safeguard national sugar stocks while allowing surplus exports without putting pressure on consumers.

ISLAMABAD: Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar has directed the relevant authorities to maintain strategic sugar reserves to meet domestic demand and prevent exports from triggering an increase in retail prices.

Dar issued the directive while chairing a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on the Export of Surplus Sugar on Wednesday, according to a Ministry of Foreign Affairs news release.

The deputy prime minister said that exporting surplus commodities was important for strengthening the agricultural economy and generating valuable foreign exchange. However, he stressed that protecting domestic consumers remained the government’s top priority.

The meeting reviewed measures to streamline surplus sugar exports and finalise the required administrative, technical and procedural arrangements.

Participants also examined existing sugar stock levels and domestic consumption requirements to ensure that export operations would not undermine local availability or price stability.

Dar thanked committee members for their contributions and appreciated their collective efforts in facilitating the smooth export of surplus sugar.

The meeting was attended by the ministers for National Food Security and Research and Economic Affairs, the Minister of State for Finance, the Prime Minister’s Adviser on Industries and Production, and Special Assistant to the Prime Minister Tariq Bajwa.

Secretaries of Finance, Commerce, Law and Justice, and National Food Security and Research, along with senior government officials, also participated.

The directive aims to balance sugar exports with domestic supply requirements while protecting consumers from potential price increases.