950819

Sugar dealers

put off

strike call

RECORDER REPORT

LAHORE: The sugar dealers of the Punjab have reached an agreement with the Federal Government about the fixation of rates and put off their strike call after the negotiation.

This was stated by the convenor of the Punjab Sugar Dealers Action Committee, Muhammad Asghar Butt while elaborating the details of the negotiation held with the local FIA directors.

He said it has been agreed upon that every sugar trader will be allowed to store 500 tonnes of sugar for daily business, at major cities, Lahore, Rawalpindi and Faisalabad. While traders of small cities would be allowed to store 250 tonnes of sugar.

The traders have assured that they would not increase the price of sugar from Rs 16.00 per kg in bulk. Nevertheless, they were of the view that sugar mills would have to extent a helping hand to the dealers.

Earlier, the dealers of the Punjab, who had failed to create consensus for the formulation of a representative body, formed an action committee to take up the matter with the provincial and federal governments.

The committee comprised Muhammad Asghar Butt Convenor, Malik Laeeq Amjad (Lahore), Haji Muhammad Bashir (Faisalabad) Khursheed Anwar (Sargodha), Haji Bashir Ahmed (Lahore), Haji Ahmed Din (Faisalabad), Malik Khursheed Ahmed (Lahore), Zia-ud-Din Butt (Lahore), and Sohail Ibraheem (Lahore) as members.

After this consensus the FIA has agreed to release all three detained traders and desealing of the stocks of the sugar traders, in the provincial metropolis and other cities of the province.