SWABI: Sugarcane growers say that they are trying to complete the harvest as soon as possible to get a good price for their crop.

The market price of the crop remained high in the early days of gur (jaggery) making.

The areas of Swabi district where sugarcane is grown include Chota Lahor, Tordher, Yar Hussain, Jehangira, Tarbela, Topi, Saleem Khan, Beka, Kaya and Shiekh Dheri. During a visit to the areas, this correspondent noted that the farmers and workers were busy in crushing, loading and unloading because they knew that they could profit more by completing the process early.

“The crushing season starts in the last week of October when the crop is harvested and reaches its peak in January and the entire process usually ends in March/April, depending on weather conditions,” said Akhtar Ali of Maneri Bala.

Farmers say they can earn more by speeding up gur production

The farmers said that the growers had been trying to complete their work in clear weather.

Noor Gul of Tarbela Dam region said that it was difficult for the growers to continue work in case of rain and cloudy weather.

Arshad Ali of Yar Hussain said that the crop was ready for harvest and transportation to the venue where the cane was crushed and juice extracted.

It was followed by boiling the juice in a large container to convert it into gur. The local gur is popular and people use it instead of sugar due to its thick tea and little impact on human body.

The farmers said that the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government had failed to provide financial support and guidance to them about adopting modern methods for increasing the yield.

ROAD MISHAPS: Eight people, including a bride, were injured in two separate road accidents here the other day.

Police said that a wedding party was on way from Chota Lahor to Sodher when the car carrying the bride overturned near Zaida area. As a result, two women, including the bride, and two men were injured. They were taken to Bacha Khan Hospital Complex, Shahmansoor.

In another accident, four people were injured when two auto-rickshaws collided on Swabi-Mardan road near Shagai village. They were taken to the district headquarters hospital.

Published in Dawn, November 27th, 2018