LAHORE: Punjab is set to fix sugarcane support price at Rs225 per 40kg and a notification to the effect will be issued within a couple of days.

The province has also informed the federal government that the cane crushing season will start from Nov 15 as the sugar mills have already been asked to make preparations for the purpose.

An official of the food department says that the Punjab Sugarcane Control Board in its recent meeting had suggested the minimum purchase price for cane at Rs225 per 40kg for the crushing season 2021-22, a jump of Rs25 from the previous season’s rate of Rs200.

Sugar millers had boycotted the maiden meeting of the reconstituted board held last Saturday to deliberate upon the sugarcane support price and other aspects of the coming crushing season.

Millers boycott maiden meeting of new cane board; growers want Rs300 rate

A majority of the growers nominated to the board had, however, attended the moot chaired by Cane Commissioner Muhammad Zaman Wattoo, while Director General Agriculture (Extension) Dr Muhammad Anjum Ali and representatives of the mines and mineral department were also present.

The crop reporting service of the agriculture department had calculated Rs180 per 40kg as the sugarcane cost of production for the 2021-22 season and suggested indicative price of the crop at Rs225 per 40kg with 25 per cent profit margin for the growers.

The meeting adopted the indicative price and forwarded it to the provincial cabinet for approval.

The official downplays the boycott by the millers saying the meeting was held with the requisite quorum and that the factory owners would always be least interested in price deliberations.

About the allegation leveled by the Kissan Board Pakistan that only a select group of growers have been nominated to the board, he passes the buck on to the deputy commissioners of the districts where the mills are located, saying the DCs had been asked to nominate the farmers of their respective district.

Kissan Board activists had protested outside the venue for the meeting and demanded Rs300 per 40kg as the minimum support price of sugarcane keeping in view the exorbitant increase in farm input prices.

Published in Dawn, October 29th, 2021