ISLAMABAD, Dec 19: Federal Minister for Food and Agriculture Sardar Yar Mohammad Rind faced criticism on Friday in the Senate when he failed to satisfy the members with his reply regarding the start of sugarcane crushing season.

Senator Mohammad Amjad Abbas, through a call attention notice, had drawn the attention of the house towards the “the refusal by the sugar industry to start crushing season on Nov 15 and its repercussions on agricultural economy with particular reference to the cultivation of wheat and financial losses to the growers”.

The agriculture minister invited the wrath of the members when he stated that there would be no impact of the delay in crushing season on wheat crop and the growers and that there was no shortage of wheat in the country.

Mr Abbas said the government had always rescued industrialists and did not come forward readily to save poor farmers from the vulgarities of nature or the exploitation of the middleman and the manufacturers. “There are so many examples of farmers being arrested for non-payment of loan instalment to the ADBP while huge amounts are allowed by way of outstanding against sugar mills without even questioning them on the matter,” he said.

He asked: “Who will be held responsible or made accountable for the financial losses the farmers sustain due to the late start of the crushing season?”

He was of the view that wheat growers would also suffer due to the delay in crushing season and expressed fear that the country might face a shortage of the commodity.

Opposing the call attention notice, the agriculture minister said there was no shortage of wheat in the country due to adequate availability of water. He said only about 2.5 per cent area, where sugarcane was cultivated, came under the rice cultivation.

Commerce Minister Humayun Akhtar came to the rescue of the agriculture minister and told the house that the crushing season started late as mills were forced by the provincial governments to buy sugarcane at a certain price. Moreover, he said, crushing could not be started in time as no labour was available due to long Eid holidays.

He said the government had decided not to export sugar this year and it would buy it to keep it in its buffer stock in anticipation of possible shortage. He said moreover the subject was a provincial matter.

Mr Abbas again took the floor and asked the minister if he did not know that Eid was coming when he had proposed Nov 15 as the deadline for the mills? He also asked the two ministers why wheat was being imported when they claimed that the country had surplus wheat?

The commerce minister replied that the decision to import wheat had nothing to do with the late start of the crushing season.

The agriculture minister said sugar mills were running at full capacity and the decision to import wheat had been taken by the Economic Coordination Committee of the Cabinet for the country’s strategic reserves.

ANP Senator Ilyas Bilour rejected the agriculture minister’s claim and said the country was facing a shortage of at least one million tons of wheat.

Mr Bilour said that he could hold a debate with the minister on the issue and said the government had adopted an open policy to invite private sector only to save its subsidy.

Many more members had wanted to speak on the issue when the chairman, Mohammadmian Soomro, intervened and said it was a serious issue and it could be discussed as a policy matter in the Senate at later stage.

He adjourned the house to meet again on Monday evening.