SAHIWAL, Dec 13: Sugarcane growers have protested against the sugar mills for not paying full support price of Rs170 per maund to them during the ongoing crushing.

The Pakistan Kissan Ittehad Mahaz (PKIM) has taken up the issue with the government.

There are two big sugar mills in Sahiwal division -- Abdullah Sugar Mills (Okara) and Ittefaq Sugar Mills (Pakpattan).

Capt Muhammad Husain (retired), district president of the PKIM, took up the issue with the commissioner. He complained that growers had to endlessly wait outside the mills to get permits for transactions. The managements of the mills sold permits to “middlemen” who did not pay the farmers according to the fixed price, he said.

“A farmer is forced to sell crop at Rs130 to 140 per maund against the support price of Rs170,” said Muhammad Imran.

The farmers also complained about short-measuring at the sugarcane collection centres.

A meeting chaired by Sahiwal Commissioner Sher Alam Mehsud expressed displeasure over alleged exploitation of the sugarcane growers. The commissioner summoned the DCOs of respective districts, general mangers of the mills in question, labour department officials, collection centre contractor and some PKIM office-bearers to solve the issue.

He directed the mills’ authorities to directly issue permits to farmers to facilitate them. He asked District Labour Officer Syed Hyder Shah to pay surprise visits to the sugarcane collection centres and check weighing scales.