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HYDERABAD, Sept 8: The Sindh Chamber of Agriculture has expressed grave concern over the non-payment of minimum sugarcane price by sugar mills to growers as per the notification of the Sindh government.
The weekly meeting of the Sindh Chamber of Agriculture, held here on Sunday under the chairmanship of Syed Qamaruzzaman Shah, demanded that the Sindh government enforce its writ and direct sugar mills to clear the outstanding dues of sugarcane growers.
It pointed out that the Sindh government had fixed the minimum price of sugarcane at Rs43 per 40kg but the sugar mills had paid only Rs36 per 40kg and in some cases Rs40 per 40kg.
The Sindh Chamber of Agriculture observed that it was a flagrant violation of the orders of the Singh government and urged the government to implement its order in respect of the minimum price of sugarcane.
Not only this, but the Sindh Chamber of Agriculture also demanded that the quality premium should be paid to the growers in accordance with the government notification.
The meeting further called upon the government to suspend the recovery of land revenue and bank loans till such time the growers were paid their outstanding dues including quality premium by the sugar mills.
It observed that due to the devastation caused by the rain, the growers urgently needed money which made it all the more necessary that their outstanding arrears should be cleared.
The Sindh Chamber of Agriculture observed that this could not be done unless the sugar mills were forced by the government to pay the growers the legal price for their produce.
It called upon the members of the provincial assembly to take notice of the plight of the growers and ensure the implementation of government orders regarding it.
It demanded that all the dues of the cane growers should be paid by Sept 15 at the latest.
The meeting further reminded the government that under the law the sugar mills had to start the crushing season with effect from Oct 1 to enable the growers to use their lands for sowing wheat.
LITERACY WALK: Hundreds of students of various schools held a literacy walk on Monday to mark the Literacy Day.
They were led by the EDO (Education), Manzoor Hussain Bhutto, DO (Literacy), Mohammad Siddique Ghouri, DO Secondary and Higher Secondary, Apa Rehmat Qazi and other educational officers and teachers.
The EDO and DO explained the objectives of the walk.
They said that the observance of literacy day was aimed at propagating the cause of education.
BISE: The controller of examinations, Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education, Hyderabad, has announced that the SSC part-II (Class X) supplementary examinations 2003 will commence from Sept 23.
