HYDERABAD: Sugarcane crop being destroyed: Delay in crushing season
Bureau Report
HYDERABAD, Nov 19: As much as 14 million tons of sugarcane in Sindh is being destroyed because the sugar mills have not begun the crushing season on Nov 15, in violation of the Sindh government notification.
This was said by the office-bearers of the Sindh Small Growers Association (SSGA), Deewan Arumal, Noor Ahmed Palejo and others at a news conference at the local press club on Tuesday.
They said that under the Sugarcane Act, the crushing season had to begin on Oct 15 every year, but the Sindh government had issued a notification, directing the sugar mill owners to begin the crushing season from Nov 15. However, they added, the mill owners had refused to follow the notification as a result 350 million maunds of sugarcane was drying up at the fields, as no water was available.
They said that under the situation, the small growers were deeply worried and the agriculture workers, hired every year for cutting sugarcane crop, were sitting idle. Moreover, they said, 20,000 workers, who were employed by the sugar mills on daily wage basis, were also waiting for the crushing season to begin.
They pointed out that the farmers also could not grow wheat crop, which was cultivated on the same land after harvesting sugarcane crop.
They said that the sugar mills in Sindh always began the crushing season one month earlier than Punjab and the NWFP, but this years the mills in Sindh were still lying closed whereas the crushing season in Punjab and the NWFP had began on Nov 1.
They warned that if the mills did not start crushing by Nov 25 at the latest, the growers would hold demonstrations throughout the province.
The SSGA leaders complained that the prices of major cash crops — like wheat, cotton, rice and sugarcane — were so low that the small growers were even unable to recover the cost of production.
They demanded that the last year’s dues of the growers should be paid by the sugar mills, quality premium on sugarcane should be increased from 32 paisa per point to 50 paisa per point, a committee, including the representatives of the growers, should be appointed to check weighing machines at the sugar mills and the payment of sugarcane crop should be made by the sugar mills in one week of the delivery of sugarcane.
The small growers further demanded that the canals and water channels should be desilted to ensure water supply to the lands lying at tail-end of the waterways, “false” cases of water theft against the small growers should be withdrawn and the feudal and tribal lords, involved in water theft, should be punished.
They said that the growers should be allowed to deposit the land revenue amount directly in the bank through bank challan, they should be given relief in respect of agriculture loans and the import of agricultural commodities should be stopped.
Answering a question, they said that last year’s dues against the sugar mills, amounted to Rs500 million.
