Islamabad: The Pakistan Sugar Mills Association (PSMA) has written a second letter to the Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue and the Minister for National Food Security, expressing grave concern over the continued closure of the FBR's S-Track portal.

In a statement, a PSMA spokesperson said the deliberate blocking of the FBR's sales tracking system - installed in every sugar mill - is disrupting the supply of sugar across the country.

The spokesperson alleged that the repeated closure of portals is aimed at facilitating the sale of imported sugar through TCP by waiving duties and taxes. However, despite these measures, no improvement has been observed in the stability of sugar prices. The association warned that restricting domestic sugar dispatches while promoting imported sugar would further destabilize the market and push prices upward.

Mills holding sugar stocks are unable to dispatch supplies due to the portal shutdown, with trucks stranded at mill premises. This, PSMA said, prevents mills from clearing storage space for the upcoming crushing season and hampers their ability to repay bank loans - ultimately affecting timely payments to sugarcane growers.

The association warned that such administrative actions could severely impact the sugar industry, leading to delays in crushing operations and possible market shortages.

PSMA urged the government to immediately intervene and lift restrictions to ensure the smooth supply of sugar nationwide.