Sugar Mills Cartel Exposed in Punjab for Fixing Cane Prices
The Competition Commission has uncovered a cartel of sugar mills in Punjab allegedly involved in fixing the price of sugarcane through collusion. According to an official statement, the Commission has issued show-cause notices to 10 sugar mills, stating that the mills collectively decided to delay the start of the crushing season through coordinated action. The…
The Competition Commission has uncovered a cartel of sugar mills in Punjab allegedly involved in fixing the price of sugarcane through collusion.
According to an official statement, the Commission has issued show-cause notices to 10 sugar mills, stating that the mills collectively decided to delay the start of the crushing season through coordinated action.
The statement revealed that the sugar mills formed a cartel to fix the sugarcane price at PKR 400 per maund, disregarding farmers’ interests in the process.
The Commission further disclosed that the mills held a secret meeting on 10 November at one of the facilities, where several representatives also participated online. During the meeting, the mills jointly agreed to begin crushing operations from 28 November.
The statement added that fixing prices through cartelisation is a violation of the Competition Act. The Competition Commission has issued show-cause notices to the 10 mills and demanded a written response within 14 days.
