Self-sustaining industry has the potential of ruling the exports
KARACHI: The inefficient use of by-products, lack of value-addition, water crisis, high costs and the entrenched politics illustrate the dire need to transform the political industry of Pakistan. However, like land reforms, the case of sugar reforms is also in the hands of those who give priority to personal interests over the popular manifesto that brought them to the decision-making table — every regime has a sugar baron supporting it.
Farmers are the victims of unethical practices, as mill owners delay crushing to force the price down. Despite the minimum support price, authorities do not intervene for ensuring price control. The financial predicament of farmers has compelled them to avoid investing in sugarcane and move on to less politicised crops. The industry not only exploits farmers, but also taxpayers. The political clout is used to extract huge subsidies.
The haphazard situation of land under cultivation and unsystematic method of transferring raw materials for crushing adds to the barrage of problems of this politically entrenched industry. Those who promise to transform this economy need to change the way this industry works. Many provide factual evidence that it is cheaper for Pakistan to import sugar than create its own — utilising the land for value-added crops like cotton. Others suggest utilising by-products in a way that sugar is no longer a primary product of the industry. A systematic utilisation will not only bring down the cost of production, but also open new economic avenues.
The self-sustaining industry has the potential of ruling the exports. But if the politics prevail, the self-sustaining industry will expose Pakistan to unimaginable problems.
Sajwar Channa
Published in The Express Tribune, April 16th, 2020.
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