November 20, 2007	Tuesday	Ziqa’ad 09, 1428

MUZAFFARGARH, Nov 19: Farmers of sugarcane are facing financial losses because of delayed crushing season as no sugar mill in the district started operation here in Muzaffargarh district.

According to the District Agriculture Department, sugarcane was grown of 100,000 acres in the district to feed three sugar mills set up in this cotton zone over the years.

The Punjab government announced that sugar mills would start crushing season from Nov 1 but the announcement got no response from the powerful sugar mills owners. Earlier, the season would start by Oct 20 but this year, the crushing has yet to be kicked off. Dawn learnt private buyers had started buying sugarcane from growers at their own rates as the government has not fixed any rate so far.

Farmers said the delayed crushing season would make it difficult for them to cultivate the wheat crop and in this way the country could face the shortage of wheat next year.

Dawn also learnt that private buyers had installed measurement scales outside the mills to buy sugarcane from the people.

In Muzaffargarh there are three sugar mills — Fatima Sugar Mills, Sheikho Sugar Mills and Tandlianwala Sugar Mills.

Only Tandlianwala Sugar Mills is partially operational and is buying sugarcane at Rs58 per 40kg.

Last year, gurr traders bought sugarcane from farmers inflicting a great loss to sugar millers. This year, no gurr trader could be seen in the field to give timely relief to the farmers.

Many farmers also complain that sugar mills delay their payments for months and in a few cases for years.

Progressive farmer Mian Abbas Qureshi is among those many farmers who have stopped supplying sugarcane to the mills because of the delayed payments.

His farm manger said they prepared gurr and supplied it to the Kotaddu Vegetable Market.

When Dawn contacted Fatima Sugar Mills, telephone operator Sajjad said that no official was available for comment. He said he did not know about the launch of crushing season.

When this correspondent contacted Sheikhu Sugar Mills, an official, Hazoor Bukhsh, said the mill would start the season from next week and so far no price of sugarcane had been fixed by the mill.