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Government has asked the manufacturers of soft drinks as well as other companies which use sugar in bulk quantities to procure sugar from outside India as the price of sugar is increasing at an alarming rate along with the fact that the annual production of sugar has been hampered due to drought.
"We have told manufactures like Coca-Cola that you should find some other mechanism," said Minister of State for Agriculture, Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution K.V. Thomas.
"These companies use large quantities of sugar. We have given this suggestion," Thomas told. He added that the beverage manufacturers will have to send the response to government’s proposal with a period of one week.
"They have to," the minister categorically said when asked if the companies will follow the suggestions made by the government.
The companies which use bulk quantities of sugar include Pepsi Coca Cola, Nestle, Dabur, Amul, Britannia and Cadbury.
According to officials in Krishi Bhavan, the headquarters of the agriculture ministry, this decision has been adopted after complaints that these companies were ‘hoarding’ sugar were reported.
