Sugar decontrol decision after assessing cane output: Pawa

New Delhi, July 28 (PTI) Food Minister Sharad Pawar todaysaid that any decision on decontrolling the sugar sector willbe taken only after assessing the likely production for thenext year and keeping the interest of the consumers in mind. "I will collect the information about total production bythe end of August. It (decontrolling the sugar sector) dependsupon what is the area availability in the country. Then itwill depend upon what is the production," Pawar told mediamenon the sidelines of an ICAR function here. At present, the government controls the sugar sectorright from fixing the support price of cane to fixing thequantity of the sweetener to be sold in the open market everymonth. "We don't want to take any decision which will ultimatelyaffect the consumers. We have to protect the interest of theconsumers, farmers and industry all together," Pawar added. Indian Sugar Mills Association (ISMA) and the NationalFederation of Co-operative Sugar Factories (NFCSF), two bodiesrepresenting the sector, have been urging the government to doaway with the monthly release mechanism, procure PDS sugarfrom the market and remove sugar from the purview of EssentialCommodities Act among others. "We are open to discussions. I have requested NFCSF andISMA representatives that, if they want to communicate theirviews, certainly, we are ready to sit with them. I thinktomorrow or day after, we are sitting, subject to discussionin Parliament," Pawar said. Pawar, however, had earlier this month said that the timewas ripe for the government to give a serious thought todecontrolling the sugar industry in the wake of betterprospects of sugar production in 2010-11 crop year. Both the government and the industry feel that thecountry would produce more sugar next year than the estimatedannual demand of 23 million tonnes. India, the world's secondlargest producer of sugar and the biggest consumer, produced18.8 million tonnes in 2009-10 crop year ending September. However, the Food Ministry's plan to decontrol the sectordrew flak from some quarters, who believe that the move wouldescalate the price of the sweetener to over Rs 60 a kg. Maharashtra Congress spokesperson Kanhaiyalal Gidwani hadsaid yesterday that decontrolling sugar would only benefitcommodity trading gamblers and hoarders as the Centre wouldhave no powers to check the price and अवैलाबिलिटी (पीटीआई)