March, 14 2005	Monday	03 Safar 1426

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OKARA, March 13: Maize is replacing sugarcane as a profitable crop in the district, say growers while identifying reasons of cane shortfall

Talking to Dawn, Kissan Board’s Okara president Malik Naseer Ahmad and Ravi Farmers’ Association head Rai Saleem said that maize seed was easily available in the market with other field facilities extended by many multinational firms..

They said the growers preferred to take two crops of maize in a year compared to the sugarcane, which took at least 10 months to reach the market.

There were no incentives for cane growers by the government, mills or by the private sector compared to facilities available to maize growers, they added.

Besides, the attitude of sugar mills’ staff towards the growers had remained discouraging that many growers felt reluctant to grow the crop. They suggested that to overcome the shortfall the government should play its role and besides solving the problems of cane growers it should introduce new varieties of cane with higher yield potential.

Okara, it may be added, has been a major cane producing area in Pakistan.

Meanwhile, sugar mills in the area are planning to end crushing earlier than usual this year as the crop size was 20-25 per cent less compared to last year’s.

Owing to this decrease in the crop output, it is being feared that there will be shortage of sugar and its price will go up.

The sugar price has already registered an increase of at least Rs9 per kg since the start of the cane season in the third week of November, 2004, when sugar price was Rs18 per kilogramme, while at present, the rate of 100-kg sugar bag was Rs2,700.

The Baba Farid Sugar Mills has so far crushed about nine million maunds of cane, while during the last year, by this time, the it had crushed 12 million maunds.

Owing to low cane output this year, the mill was going to close crushing process on March 20, while last year it remained in operation till April 4.