26 October 2004	Tuesday	11 Ramazan 1425

PESHAWAR, Oct 25: Sugarcane growers on Monday staged a protest demonstration in front of the Peshawar Press Club, demanding that sugar mill owners should start early crushing of sugarcane without any further delay.

The protesters were led by the president of the Ittehad-i-Zamindaran Wa Kashtkaran, Jan Nisar Khalil.

Chanting slogans and waving banners inscribed with slogans, they demanded early resumption of sugarcane crushing and urged the government to compel the sugar mill owners to immediately start sugarcane crushing.

Speaking on the occasion Mr Khalil also demanded that the prices of the sugarcane and sugar beats be increased so that the growers could get adequate value for their crops.

He said the sugar mill owners delay the crushing season and then they purchase sugarcane and sugar beats on low prices once the season is on, leaving the growers in a situation in which they could hardly recover the money they had invested in the venture.

Mr Khalil said inflated electricity bills and the menace of loadshedding had made farming an unattractive profession, making many people opt for other businesses. "If the current situation continued any longer the agriculture sector will suffer a setback," he said. He warned that if the federal and provincial governments did not take action against the sugar mill owners the growers would start a forceful protest campaign.-PPI