In response to rising domestic sugar prices, the Sugar Advisory Board (SAB) on Monday approved the import of 500,000 tons of sugar to stabilize the market and provide relief to consumers.

The decision was made during a high-level meeting chaired by Federal Minister for National Food Security and Research Rana Tanveer Hussain, according to an official statement.

The advisory board attributed the recent price surge to unregulated pricing practices by sugar mill owners and agreed to implement strict monitoring mechanisms to ensure stability in supply and pricing.

“The formalities related to sugar import will be completed within a few days,” said Rana Tanveer Hussain, adding that the move had become “inevitable” due to the ongoing supply shortfall which led to hike in price.

He confirmed that sugar would be imported to as quickly as possible to alleviate pressure on consumers.

It should be noted that on June 20, the government had decided to import 500,000 tons of sugar.

The Ministry of Food Security said that the decision to import sugar was made to maintain price balance.

Earlier, the government had allowed the export of a total of 750,000 tonnes of sugar from June to October 2024, while the last time it allowed the export of 500,000 tonnes of sugar was in October.

The federal government had decided at the time of sugar export that if the retail price of sugar exceeded Rs145.15 per kilogram, the export of sugar would be stopped immediately.

However, sugar was exported from December 2024 to February 2025, and prices continued to increase during this period.