12 lakh additional non-levy sugar quota to be released

New Delhi, Sep 1 (UNI) The Government has decided to increase non-levy sugar quota from nine lakh to 12 lakh tonnes for September to check prices in the open market.

Besides this, the sugar factories are expected to sell 20 lakh tonnes and 4.5 lakh tonnes of non-levy sugar out of the dismangled first buffer stock and the second buffer stock of 30 lakh tonnes.

This would increase the total availability of non-levy sugar for the month of September 2008 to around 20 to 21 lakh tonnes during the Gauri-Ganesh festival in southern states.

The Government is monitoring the sugar prices in the open market closely and would not hesitate to release additoinal non-levy sugar if prices show sharp increase, an official release said.

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