Wholesale traders had reduced sugar purchases in June due to uncertainty about cess and claim there is a shortage in the supply chain Following the introduction of GST from July 1, the sugar trade is still awaiting clarity on the cess that mills pay, while the cotton industry has welcomed the new regime and the poultry sector is bracing for feed to become more expensive. Sugar, cotton and poultry sectors are the top employment generators both at the front and back ends. Sugar traders are not sure about cess after implementation of GST. "It is still not clear to us if we will get back the Rs 124/quintal cess we had paid on the sugar that was bought till June 30," said Ashok Ranavat, president of the Bombay Sugar Merchants' Association, which did not put out a rate for the commodity on July 1 and declared there was no stock Wholesale traders had reduced sugar purchases in June because of un certainty about cess and claimed there is a shortage of the sweetener in the supply chain. The GST on sugar is 5 per cent. In the previous tax regime, there was excise duty of Rs 71/quintal, which is about 2 per cent of the sugar price, and a cess of Rs 124/quintal. Cotton brokers are happy. They expect demand for cotton to increase because GST on the commodity is less than that on manmade fibre.