The Food Ministry has invited the Indian Sugar Mills’ Association and the National Federation of Co-operative Sugar Factories to participate in a meeting on Friday to discuss the issue of falling prices of the sweetener.

“The meeting will be chaired by the Joint Secretary for Sugar, Subhashish Panda, on Friday,” a senior official from the Ministry said.

Millers from Maharashtra have been demanding that the government create a buffer stock of 2 million tonnes (mt) to arrest the slide in prices of the sweetener. Sugar mills have also urged the government not to consider any imports from Pakistan, which had earlier this year, allowed export of 1.5 mt sugar with a freight subsidy of 10.70 Pakistani rupee per kg (1 Pakistani rupee is 0.61 Indian rupee).

During the meeting, the industry may seek removal of export duty of 20 per cent on sugar.