The government on Monday said it may extend the white sugar import window up to December this year to help increase availability and contain prices of the sweetener, whose retail rate is rallying closer to 50 rupees a kg in Delhi. Food and Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar said on Monday that the recommendation to the Cabinet Committee on Prices will be to extend the import window up to December 2010 on par with raw sugar.The Ministry is also considering relaxing import conditions to allow millers of Uttar Pradesh to refine imported raw sugar in other states as the UP government had in early November banned its transportation and processing. Mr Pawar said, in the last 20 days, ministry officials have held at least two rounds of meeting with importers to remove hurdles in imports, if any. Sugar prices have increased since the beginning of the new year due to fall in output.
News On AIR | January 11, 2010 6:53 PM
Govt may extend white sugar import till December