HYDERABAD: The Sindh Chamber of Agriculture (SCA) has advised sugar cane growers not to supply their produce to sugar mills if they offer less than Rs182 per 40 kg as notified by the Sindh government.

It also urged the Sindh government to take action against such sugar mills owners who do not comply with the official decision.

At a meeting chaired by SCA president Dr Syed Nadeem Qamar held on Sunday, participants expressed surprise as to how sugar mills obtained an stay order against the sugar cane price of Rs182 per 40 kg on Saturday when courts were usually closed.

The meeting expressed grave concern that the court had directed sugar mills to start cane crushing from Nov 1, but the mills were violating the order. It resolved to inform the court that the mills were blackmailing cane growers.

The meeting noted that the sugar cane was cultivated on 730,000 acres in Sindh and its growers were suffering millions of rupees losses due to injustices by sugar mill managements.

The meeting decided that if any attempt was made to purchase cane at a price less than the notified rate, they would protest.

The meeting also expressed concern over the fact that some mill managements restrained sugar cane growers from selling their commodity in other areas.

The meeting also demanded of the government to pay Rs5,000 per acre subsidy to paddy growers as its prices continued to fall.

It said traders were not purchasing paddy at the desired price and the Punjab government had given a subsidy of Rs5,000 per acre to paddy producers, therefore, such subsidy should also be given to paddy producers in Sindh.

The crushing has not yet begun fully because sugar mill owners are strongly resisting the price of sugarcane fixed by the Sindh government.

The Sindh government in November had first notified Rs182 per 40 kg of sugar cane for 2014-15 crushing season, but the Pakistan Sugar Mills Association Sindh zone filed a constitutional petition in Sindh High Court, requesting it to direct the Sindh government to fix the price of sugar also besides sugar cane.

It also challenged some sections of Sugar Factories Control Act of 1950 under which the provincial government fixed the rate of sugar cane and announced the date for commencement of crushing season.

While the petition was pending, the Sindh government issued a notification on Dec 3, fixing the price at Rs155 per 40 kg.

When the growers bodies resisted and criticised the government’s Dec 3 notification, the Sindh chief minister at a press conference held on Dec 7 again announced the previous rate of Rs182 per 40kg of cane and withdrew the second notification.

BADN: Growers continued their protest on Sunday in Pangrio against an acute water shortage in various outlets of Shadi irrigation and Khairpur Gumbho irrigation sub-divisions.

They demonstrated outside the local press club to register their protest against water crises in the tail-end areas of various outlets of Shadi and Khairpur Gumbho irrigation sub-divisions for the past many months.

They told reporters that irrigation officials sold water of their share to other growers and the practice went unchecked. The acute shortage of water was destroying crops of some farmers of the area.

KHAIRPUR: Sugarcane growers of Gambat, Sobhodero and Kot Diji talukas blocked the National Highway near Gambat bypass on Sunday in protest against the management of Khairpur and Ranipur sugar mills.

The protesters complained to journalists that the mills were giving them Rs155 per 40 kg of sugar cane whereas the official rate was Rs182 per 40 kg. The mills’ officials argued that they had not received such a notification, they said.

They complained that the mills had not yet cleared their remaining dues of last year. They had a meeting with the deputy commissioner on Monday and if their talks failed they would again block the highway.

Published in Dawn, December 15th, 2014