November 12, 2006	Sunday	Shawwal 19, 1427

RAHIM YAR KHAN, Nov 11: The powerful interest groups in the lower Punjab with political backing seem bent to push their narrow petty interests even at the cost of hurting the traditional cotton economy of the region.

The construction of the fourth sugar mill in the district is in final stages, while preparation for a fifth one is in full swing. This is despite the fact that cotton experts have warned that more mills should not be allowed in the cotton belt in southern Punjab and Sindh as it would affect the cropping pattern of the area causing distortions that ultimately hurt the cotton economy.

The district, known for producing best quality cotton in bulk, has already seen a decline in cotton acreage during the last couple of years. Besides cotton, mango is also threatened by increasing cane cultivation as this water-rich crop changes the cropping pattern with passage of time.

Though growers and millers earn quick profits by switching over to sugarcane (where millers are dictating their terms in case of sugar price), there is no denying of the fact that sugarcane is no match to cotton and mango when their value and contribution to the overall economy is taken into account.

According to ginners, Rahim Yar Khan produces best quality lint in the world. The average acreage in the district till two years ago fell around 800,000 acres yielding up to 1.9 million bales each year.

Similarly, best varieties of mango are produced here and thousands of tons are exported each year. Total area under mango orchards is 70,000 acres.

Before 1992, there were only two sugar mills in the district -- one in tehsil Khanpur at Jetha Buhtta and the other at Goth Machi in Sadiqabad.

The third sugar mill at Jamaldin Wali was established in 1992. Later proprietors of old units also increased their offering rates for the cane crop due to which the farmers of the area started cultivating more sugarcane. Once farmers switched over offering rate to them for the sugarcane was reduced leading to a reversal in the trend to cultivate cane crop.

After 1999 the owners of a sugar mill of the district started to get the thousands of acres of agriculture land on lease to produce maximum sugarcane crop on their own for their sugar mill in kachha area in the north of the district. They offered more attractive rates to the farmers. One acre which was leased for Rs7,000 for one year was offered Rs12,000 to Rs15,000 hence many farmers started leasing their land.

After 2002 the sugar mills outside the district announced better rates which again attracted the farmers of the area to cultivate sugarcane. In 2004 cotton was sown on 779,780 acres while sugarcane was cultivated on 130,270 acres while its target was 111,010 acres. In 2005 cotton was cultivated on 792,684 acres and sugarcane on 141,162 acres.

In 2006 cotton is cultivated on 752,753 acres while sugarcane on 195,580 acres, a big reason for this was rates of sugarcane from some sugar mills of the district in 2005 who gave Rs100 per maund to the farmers.

From 2003 to 2006 almost on 100,000 acres of more land sugarcane was cultivated which is in fact decrease in the cotton cultivating area.

In 2005 a new sugar mill in mouza Akramabad in tehsil Rahim Yar Khan was started (whose owners are a state minister and an adviser to Abu Dahbi government) despite the ban on the establishment of new sugar mills in the cotton area by the government.

This new sugar mill is going to start its crushing this year at Akramabad while another new sugar mills at Janpur in tehsil Liaqatpur is stated to be established soon. The other sugar mills of the district are producing more sugar than their approved capacity.

The farmers of the district are reducing the cultivation of cotton due to the establishment of new sugar mill and mango orchards are also being cut in the kacha area, including Rajanpur Kalan, Abadpur, Rukkanpur and Mianwali Qureshian to lease that land at attractive rates or to cultivate sugarcane.

Permission is required to establish a new sugar mill from the government and many other departments. In the last week of September 2006 Provincial Minister for Environment Makhdoom Ishfaq Ahmed Hashmi told newsmen at canal rest house that his department had not issued NOC to the sugar mill situated at Akramabad and he had informed the DCO Rahim Yar Khan in writing in this regard, despite this new sugar mill is near its completion.

According to some sources secretary environment had issued the NOC to new sugar mill without the permission of provincial minister on the pressure of chief minister. When provincial minister came to know about this he filed a writ against secretary environment. It is also learnt that the secretary agriculture who visited the district earlier has sent a report to the prime minister about the dangerous trend of decreasing the cotton cultivation.

Pakistan Cotton Ginners Association member and prominent industrialist Ch Mehmood Ahmed told Dawn that Rahim Yar Khan was the core area of cotton and there should be no sugar mill from Nawabshah Sindh to Cheechawatni Punjab. He added that the increase of cultivation of sugarcane would result in shortage of water which would also hit the wheat cultivation.

He disclosed that these sugar mills had not established by product factories due to which pollution was increasing. “The people of 4 to 5 kilometres area of the sugar mills are feared to be affected with different diseases due to the ash of sugarcane waste”.

He further said that the cotton crop, used in 65pc of exports, was in danger only to produce sugar. “If government does not take necessary steps in time then the core cotton area of district Rahim Yar Khan will be changed into sugarcane area”.