THE Pakistan Sugar Mills Association (PSMA)is as usual demanding a rebate of Rs15 per kilo and permission to export surplus stock so that they are able to makepayment to sugar cane f armers.

As the majority of sugar mills are owned by politicians and head of mainstream political parties, they are not prepared to follow the free market principle of supply and demand.

The benefits of more production and less price is not the government`s concerns because it is in the interest of the common man. Why does the government control the sugar cane prices? Why does the government always protect sugar mills interests? In a free economy, the states involvement is not in the interest of the people. The government`s prime duty is to protect the interest of the people and not those of sugar barons. What are the health benefits of white sugar, which our sugar mills are producing? Why doesn`t the government pay the amount it collects from consumers with its 50pc taxes every month? Why isn`t the government allowing the people to produce, sell and collect the money directly from consumers? S.T. Hussain Lahore