QUETTA: Industries and Commerce Department of Baluchistan has suspended Deputy Director Industries & Commerce, Ahmed Shah, for issuing any permit/NOC regarding movement of sugar in excess of the quota allowed.
Provincial government has advised Director General Industries & Commerce to immediately stop issuing any permit/NOC regarding movement of sugar in Baluchistan till the issue of movement of sugar in excess of Quota is resolved.
Customs Enforcement Quetta has raised concerns over the movement of sugar to the bordering districts of Balochistan in excess of the quota allotted by the federal government.
Customs suspected that this extra quantity of sugar over and above the quota is being taken to bordering districts for onward smuggling to Afghanistan. It urged the Balochistan government to stop issuing any more NOCs or permits until the matter is resolved.
Customs Baluchistan had identified the monthly quotas notified by the Ministry of National Food Security and Research, Islamabad have been surpassed by a large margin. It also pointed out that the number of NOCs issued by the Director General, Industries and Commerce, Balochistan as per the web portal of the relevant department as of July 12, 2023 is 2862, which implies that 114,480 MTs of sugar have been allowed to move against the total annual quota of 159,764.62 MTs for entire Balochistan.