HYDERABAD: Growers staged a sit-in outside Faran Sugar Mills in Tando Mohammad Khan here on Sunday in protest against non-payment of sugar cane price of Rs182 per 40kg as notified by the Sindh government.

They demanded of the Sindh government to implement its notification in letter and spirit.

The sit-in was attended by around 250 growers from different parts of lower Sindh. PPP MNA Nawab Yusuf Talpur, Sindh Abadgar Board (SAB) president Abdul Majeed Nizamani and its general secretary Dr Zulfiqar Yusfani, Sindh Chamber of Agriculture (SCA) president Dr Syed Nadeem Qamar and its general secretary Nabi Bux Sathio led the protest.

Mr Talpur said it was height of injustice with growers that they were not being paid the notified price.

He demanded that the Sindh government should ensure payment of the notified price to growers.

Denial of the notified price and payment of Rs155 per 40kg of sugar cane was an attempt to preventing growers from sowing sugar cane in Sindh.

Such situation would lead to sugar cane and sugar crisis in the province, therefore, the government should take action against those mills that were not paying the official price. He said farmers were being forced to stage sit-ins inside the mills.

Abdul Majeed Nizamani described the chief minister as weak and helpless before the powerful millers. He claimed that the CM was under pressure and that was why the Sindh government was not taking any action against the millers. Protest by farmers would resultantly continue in Sindh. He regretted that the government was unable to protect farmers’ rights.

Dr Nadeem Qamar said this crisis would affect sugar cane and wheat productivity simultaneously and it would lead to a wheat flour crisis in the country and Sindh.

Majority of population belonged to the agriculture sector and the government should ensure that farmers demands were accepted, he added.

Abadgars were feeling insecure because of monopoly of the millers and they were earning millions of rupees at the cost of farmers. He said the Sindh government had failed to provide justice to farmers and the situation forced them to lay a siege to the assembly.

Published in Dawn, March 2nd, 2015

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