October 24, 2006	Tuesday	Ramazan 30, 1427

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LAHORE, Oct 23: The Kissan Board Pakistan has moved the Lahore High Court against the federal and provincial governments for “delaying cane crushing season under the influence of millers and reducing the cost of sugarcane against the recommendations of its own body.”

In its petition, the board had maintained that the Sugarcane (Punjab Amendment) Act, 1943, charged the provincial government to start crushing season on 15th day of October every year and end it on June 13 next year. This statutory provision was being complied with since 1943 till 2005-06.

“It is because the law provision enables the growers to sow wheat crop well in time because any delay in sowing affects the final yield,” contended the petitioner.

The petitioner says that it is also worth mentioning that the provincial government every year constitutes a committee, under the chairmanship of director general (extension) to evaluate the cost of production of sugarcane and recommend support price. The committee this year recommended Rs73.53 per maund.

But, the powerful millers “influenced” the decisions of the government and the price was revised downwards to Rs60 per maund and crushing season was delayed by 15 days.

“The influential millers lobby got dropped investigation by the NAB (National Accountability Bureau) against it for raising sugar price and hurting the entire nation. The new price of sugarcane (Rs60 per maund) is less than that of the price that the farmers got last year,” the petitioner said.

With crushing season delayed by 15 days, the growers would be forced to harvest cane crop in a hurry so that they could prepare their fields for wheat sowing.

This would expose the growers to very serious dangers. They would be vulnerable to blackmail by the millers as they would not be able to wait for any time to delay cutting of cane as optimum sowing time for wheat crop was November 20.

When taking decision of delaying crushing season, the government also ignored the fact that the nation and growers would suffer a massive loss on account of delayed wheat sowing and drop in yield. This drop could be anywhere between 500,000 tons to one million tons, the petitioner contended.

“The millers lobby is so powerful that it got assurances from the government that it would neither decrease the price of sugar nor would the TCP (Trading Corporation of Pakistan) would import any sugar. The government has also promised it to stop duty free import of sugar, and slap duty on any import.”

The petitioner said the government has taken these decisions under the influence of the millers to give it undue benefit at the cost of general public and the petitioner.

All three benefits assured to the millers - sugar price would not be decreased, TCP would not import sugar and millers would be provided more loans - are at the cost of general public and growers, the petitioner said.

The board has been agitating the matter on all forums, even national press, but to no avail, it said.

The KBP has prayed that the government should be directed to increase price from Rs60 to Rs73.53 per maund as recommended by the government body and start the cane crushing season immediately rather than delaying it till November 1.