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'Pak ban on Indian sugar import may be taken up at summit'

Islamabad's decision to continue the ban on import of Indian sugar may figure in the July 14-16 Indo-Pak summit, Union Minister for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Shanta Kumar said Tuesday.

"Our ministry has requested Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee to take up the issue with Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf," Kumar told reporters on Pakistan's recent decision to maintain the ban on Indian sugar.

India, he said, would be willing to export whatever quantity of sugar was asked for by Pakistan, which according to reports from Karachi, banned the import due to pressure from sugar mill owners who said it would hurt their interests.

"We will convince them that Indian sugar is sweet and that it may help sweeten our relations," Shanta Kumar said.

"That (the problem) will be sorted out."

Asked about the price at which India was ready to supply sugar to Pakistan, he said it would be decided by the private sugar mills who export.

He said India was trying to identify some countries for export of sugar but admitted that the price of Indian sugar was higher than the international price.

The government, he said, would initiate steps, including providing loan for cogeneration using bagasse in the sugar industry to reduce the production cost of sugar. "We are trying to amend the sugar development fund in this regard."

Shanta Kumar said India has targetted to export 5 million tones of wheat, 3 million tonnes of rice and 1 million tonnes of sugar during the current financial year.

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