Sugar Mills Face Shortages from FBR Portal Shutdowns

Sugar millers in Punjab and Sindh have voiced grave concerns over looming supply shortages and price hikes triggered by recurring shutdowns of the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR)’s Track and Trace (T&T) portal.

In a formal letter to Federal Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb and National Food Security Minister Rana Tanveer Hussain, the Pakistan Sugar Mills Association (PSMA) underscored that mills in both provinces have endured persistent disruptions, with the portal remaining non-functional for multiple days—particularly throughout September and the recent week.

A PSMA spokesperson warned that these outages have halted mills from lifting sugar and dispatching it to markets, severing supply chains and fueling domestic price surges. “If these restrictions persist, the ensuing shortfall could spark even steeper price increases,” the spokesperson cautioned.

Millers reported that FBR officials deployed at mills, especially in southern Punjab and interior Sindh, have routinely blocked dispatches by refusing clearance at mill gates, a practice the association described as increasingly commonplace and exacerbating market supply woes.