KARACHI, Nov 15: Sugar mills in Sindh started warming up their boilers on Saturday to commence the crushing season as per provincial government’s decision.
Syed Sardar Ahmad told Dawn that according to information provided to him, some of the mill-owners had even opened negotiations for procurement of sugarcane and at least three of the 28 mills would start crushing in three days.
Amid bitter criticism of the federal government’s decision to extend the date of commencing the crushing season to Nov 30, Mr Ahmed had made a firm commitment on the floor of the Sindh Assembly on Friday that the provincial government would stick to the date it had decided and take appropriate action against defaulters.
Replying to a question, Mr Ahmad said it would take about a week for the boilers to be fully warmed up. “There is no problem with the federal government in sticking to the date fixed by the provincial government,” he said.
He said no complaints were received by him from the cane commissioner who earlier in the day had told newsmen that out of 28 sugar mills operating in Sindh, managements of 19 mills ignited their boilers on Saturday.
Syed Sardar Ahmad said he had a meeting with the mill-owners in which they proposed that the amount which the government had decided to disburse among growers before Eid should be done through them in the presence of a representative of the government.
As the government was unable to compel the millers to pay back their dues to the growers, Syed Sardar Ahmad had stated on the floor of the assembly on Friday to pay 25 per cent of the arrears of differential price (between Rs.40 and Rs.43) to the growers before Nov 23. The amount, which was estimated at Rs 250 million would be recovered from the sugar mill owners.
However, on Saturday, Syed Sardar Ahmad said a final decision about the proposal would be taken on Monday, but added that disbursing the amount through millowners would be good for the government because in the end it has to be recovered from them.
Sindh agriculture minister Arif Jatoi said the decision taken by the provincial government was “honourable” way out for everyone and in the interest of Sindh.
He said millowners had assured him verbally as well as in writing that they would commence crushing as decided by the government. Mr Jatoi said the feed-back he had received from the cane commissioner was “verify positive” as all the mills had started work from Saturday. He said that the cane commissioner had been directed to personally verify that mills had started operation.
The minister said the provincial government had taken the decision after extensive discussion with all the stake-holders.
However, representatives of growers were of the view that the decision was only cosmetic because igniting of boilers so late would not result in actual crushing before a fortnight, i.e not before the date fixed by the federal government.
They said that fears expressed on the floor of the assembly were real and such cosmetic attempts would be harmful for the province.
They said at least 15 more days were required to start crushing in the sugar mills because the boilers would take seven days to complete warming up process, following which another week or so would be required to procure raw material for triggering off the proper crushing.
They were also surprised over moves to hand over government money to defaulters who had withheld growers money deliberately. It amounted to providing credit to them without any mark-up and protecting them.
Sources said that igniting boilers actually meant testing of machines and pointed out that during the last season crushing was delayed.
