Former provin­cial food minist­er claims his advice to resist coerci­on, take action agains­t sugar barons was ignore­dLAHORE: The Punjab government was ‘pressured’ at the behest of mill owners into approving the controversial subsidy for sugar export, a former provincial minister and officials speaking on condition of anonymity have alleged. According to sources in the federal and Punjab governments, the decision to grant the subsidy to sugar producers was prompted by two developments. On one hand, the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC), while deciding to allow sugar exports, asked the province to subsidise the commodity. “But my suggestion was ignored.”After receiving ECC’s signal, the sugar export subsidy was placed on the Punjab cabinet’s agenda. They claimed that certain sugar mill owners had influenced the federal government into pressuring Punjab over the subsidy.

Source: The Express Tribune April 12, 2020 06:00 UTC