DERA  ISMAIL KHAN, Dec 1: The Chashma Sugar Mill has postponed its crushing season again for an indefinite period creating shortage of sugar, besides causing unemployment to seasonal staff.

Previously, the mill has twice  postponed crushing during the current season and asked its seasonal staff not to  report for duty till next advice from the mill administration.  

The mill used to ask the growers to supply sugar-cane  to the  mill  from the beginning of November every year. This  time,  the crushing  season was announced from 15th November.

The  date was further extended for one week but recently the administration again postponed its crushing season for an indefinite period.

The sugar-cane growers who regularly supply their cane to the mill have left  with  no  choice but to install  their own expellers for making raw-sugar and at  many places  these expellers have started functioning.

  As part of the crop pattern, the growers use the same land under sugar-cane for the wheat sowing.

But as the sugar-cane crops still exist in the fields a large number of farmers have not sown wheat  so  far, which might affect the wheat crop and cause financial loss to the  growers.

They have demanded of the government to take appropriate measures to prevent them of any possible loss.