December 01, 2007	Saturday	Ziqa’ad 20, 1428

THATTA, Nov 30: After an abrupt Rs6 reduction in per 40kg sugarcane procurement rate by mills, four sugar factories are facing “no cane” situation for past 24 hours in the district as growers have stopped the supply due to the decrease in price.

Dewan, Shah Murad, Laar and Al-Asif sugar mills have started procuring sugarcane at Rs60 per 40kg against the official rate of Rs67 per 40kg.

The payable rate, which included transport expenses, was introduced without any consent of growers, sources said.

Some responsible officials, privy to the matter, when asked for comment on the situation, kept mum.

However, some insiders said that the low percentage of sucrose extraction in comparison to last year’s crops has compelled the mills to reduce the procurement rate.

The situation has resulted in suspension of harvesting in the district while some agronomists believe the situation could not prolong as it will hamper the process and upcoming wheat sowing while rendering unbearable losses to both the abadgars and the millers.

A number of farmers, including Ghulam Ali Khwaja, Wahid Parhiar, Shahzad Shah and Syed Shafiq Shah Bukhari, while terming the abrupt reduction in the rate as cheating with growers, said that the millers were required to raise the per 40kg rate at least to Rs80, instead of reducing it.

Meanwhile, in a bid to keep its chimneys alive, managements of these four factories have started procuring sugarcane from the distant areas of Tando Allahyar, Matiari and Dadu.

Our Badin correspondent adds: Sugar mills in Badin district have stopped cane crushing due to shortage of supply as growers stopped supply due to decrease in the purchase rate.

According to Laar Abadgar Association Badin President Abdul Jabbar Gopang, Mohammad Khan Sarejo and other growers, after the caretaker government took over and the announcement of lifting of emergency was made, the sugar mills in Badin, which had already lit their boilers late, have reduced Rs7 from the purchase price of sugarcane against the price fixed by the government.

The sugar mill owners were not prepared to purchase sugarcane at the fixed price of Rs67 and refused to act on the decision and violating the notification and every year create new problems for growers, they said.

They alleged that the provincial government fixed the price at Rs67 per 40kg, which was not sufficient to meet with the heavy expenses occurred over cultivation, while adding that the mills were challenging the growers either to leave cane cultivation and sow some other crops or agree with the demands of the millers.

They warned that they would never supply sugarcane at Rs60 or less than the fixed government price and said if the final decision was not taken by the caretaker government it would create unrest among growers and mill owners as a result of which standing crop would be destroyed.

They claimed that as the Eidul Azha was approaching, the sugar mills would exploit the demand for money by the growers to prepare for next cultivation and for Eid expenses.

They alleged that there was no reason for mill owners for decreasing the price of sugarcane and put the growers in huge financial losses.

On the other hand, the mill owners claimed that sugar recovery ratio does not suit them to purchase sugarcane even at the government fixed rate.

The growers said that all five sugar mills of the district were monopolising the situation to cheat the growers.

They demanded action against sugar mill owners.