Centre Releases 38lt Sugar As FSQ

New Delhi: In a further bid to boost ex-factory realisations, the Centre has sanctioned 38 lakh tonnes (lt) of sugar as the free sale quota (FSQ) for mills during the April-June quarter. For the same quarter of 2006, the FSQ allocation amounted to 43.25 lt. For April 2007, the FSQ has been fixed at 12 lt, which is below the 15.75 lt issued in April 2006. Even after including the 1.77 lt of levy sugar for the public distribution system, the total sugar available for consumption in the coming month, at 13.77 lt, is lower than the 16.56 lt for April 2006. The Government has also extended the validity period of the March FSQ release up to April 15, enabling mills to sell and dispatch the unsold quantity during this extended period.