HYDERABAD, Jan 7: Sindh Cane Commissioner Nazar Mohammad Baloch has directed the management of all sugar mills in Sindh to clear the payment of quality premium to growers for the year 2002-03 by Jan 31.

This, he directed while presiding over the first meeting of the Sugarcane Control Board on Wednesday. The general managers of all sugar mills in Sindh, chairman Sindh Chamber of Agriculture, Syed Qamar Zaman Shah, officers of the agriculture department and growers attended the meeting.

Addressing the meeting, the cane commissioner said it was for the first time after 1987 that the Sugarcane Control Board had been constituted under the directives of Sindh agriculture minister Arif Mustafa Jatoi.

He said the 58-member board comprized 28 representatives from the sugar mills, 28 members from growers and two members from the government and its aim was to discuss and take decision about the problems faced by the sugarcane growers.

Mr Baloch said an amount of Rs1,071,650,591.21 was outstanding against 22 sugar mills in Sindh on account of quality premium payment to the growers. Mr Baloch directed them to refund an amount of Rs194,500,000 on account of surcharge to the growers within 15 days.

Referring to the complaints of the growers about unauthorized deductions from the cane price by the sugar mills on plea of unsuitable quality, the board decided not to make any deduction without prior permission of cane commissioner.

Mr Baloch informed the meeting that a committee comprizing technical experts would be formed to scrutinize the claims of unsuitable quality of sugarcane made by sugar mills.

Discussing the complaints filed by growers about private zoning system by mill managements to lift the sugarcane crop attheir own wishes, the board termed it illegal and directed the sugar mill managements to issue sector-wise weekly indents schedule well in time and ensure that production of each grower was lifted accordingly.

The board decided not to patronize any broker but purchase the sugarcane direct from growers at their field. The cane commissioner informed the meeting that the Sindh chief minister, Ali Mohammad Mahar, Sindh minister for finance, Sardar Ahmed and Sindh minister for agriculture, Arif Mustafa Jatoi had taken notice of delay in payments to the growers.

He asked the managements to submit their daily payment position with their consolidated weekly report to him on regular basis for onward transmission to the government of Sindh.

The meeting recommended to the Sindh government that the sugar cess development fund be deposited in the account of Sindh cane commissioner and it should be utilized under his supervision.

The general managers and growers also tried to discuss withdrawal of 18 per cent excise and sales tax from the sugar production. The cane commissioner informed that he was authorized to fix transportation rate for lifting the sugarcane crop and asked the mill managements and growers to submit their area wise proposals within shortest possible time.

The Sindh Chamber of Agriculture chairman Syed Qamar Zaman Shah said the sugar mill managements responsible for delay in starting of sugarcane crushing and said that it had created apprehensions among the growers and compelled over harvesting and clearing their production through middlemen.