Overview
- According to the CCP, representatives of the mills met on November 10 at Fatima Sugar Mills, agreed to start crushing on November 28, and set a uniform cane price of Rs400 per 40kg.
- The meeting was chaired by Fatima Sugar Mills’ resident director Rana Jamil Ahmed Shahid, with Sheikho, Thal Industries, Tandlianwala (Rehman Hajra Unit), JK One, Ashraf, and Kashmir attending in person and Siraj, Two Star, and Haq Bahoo joining online.
- The CCP says such coordination violates Section 4 of the Competition Act, which prohibits agreements to fix prices or coordinate business decisions among competitors.
- The commission notes the Punjab Sugarcane Commissioner had directed mills to begin crushing by November 15, a benchmark it says was disregarded by the alleged coordinated delay.
- The regulator warns that delaying early-season crushing could manufacture shortages and raise retail sugar prices, and it highlights the imbalance between mills and farmers in price setting.