November 6, 2003	Thursday	Ramazan 10, 1424

LAHORE, Nov 5: In response to a letter from the food department, most of the millers have promised to start crushing season during the second week of the current month.

The department had written last week to the millers, asking for the exact date of their start of the season. Under the Cane Act, the millers are supposed to announce the date a month before the crushing.

All 12 district coordination officers (DCOs), where these mills fall in Punjab, were also told to sensitize farmers on the issue and their rights in this regard.

Commenting on the situation, farmers’ representatives claimed it was a case of better late than never. But, they insisted that damage had already been done.

According to the general-secretary of the Kissan Board: “If the mills do start by 15th, actual crushing will start in the third week of the current month as mills need a week to get into operation. Cane harvesting would start in the third week and go right into the middle or third week of December. This means a very late sowing for bulk of wheat crop. The growers would have to use over 75 kg per acre — 25 kg more than normal sowing. In addition to more seed, the late sowing would naturally hurt the final yield.”

According to an official of the Farmers Association of Pakistan, the sad part of whole affair is that growers would bear the brunt of the whole goof-off.

The government on the insistence of millers has decided to purchase surplus sugar at a cost of Rs1.2 billion. The massive amount is being spent to stabilize the market and save the millers. But no one is there to compensate the farmers who have suffered the most in the process. These millers still owe over Rs2 billion to the farmers, but the government is busy saving the millers who have damaged the farmers, he added.

But millers have their own explanation to offer. Surplus stocks were cumulated because of wrong policies of the government and it was duty bound to correct the mistake, says a miller from Punjab.