RAHIM YAR KHAN: The delay in the start of the crushing season will worsen the wheat crisis and it’s shameful for the government that decided to import one million tonne wheat despite Pakistan being an agricultural country.

Currently, the crop of sugarcane is healthier and the farmers want to harvest it immediately for sowing of wheat, which would be delayed if the sugar mills don’t start crushing.

This was stated by All Pakistan Kissan Foundation (APKF) Chairman Syed Mehmoodul Haq Bukhari on Monday.

He criticised the sugar mills owners who met the Punjab chief minister some days back and demanded an increase in the sugar rate, terming it an unjust demand. He said it was also oppression of the masses that the government had initially notified the sugar rate at Rs90 per kg but later the chief minister increased the rate of sugar at Rs140.

“The chief minister had sought commitment from the sugar mills owners to start the crushing season of 2023 from Nov 1 but the sugar mills owners are delaying to start the crushing season with a planned strategy because they want to increase the rate again. Sugar will be available to the public in black market at higher rates,” Bukhari claimed.

He added that when sugar mills owners purchased the sugarcane from the farmers at Rs300 per 40kg, the rate of sugar was Rs80 to Rs85 per kg till April 2023. But when the federal government released the notification of increased rate of sugar in April 2023, sugar started being smuggled out of the country.

Mr Bukhari said the sugar mills owners should start the crushing immediately because it would create transactions of billions of rupees in the market. He said it was discrimination against the sugarcane farmers that the sugarcane price had not been finalised yet.

He said the Sindh government had fixed the sugarcane rate at Rs425 per maund one month ago but sugar mills mafia in Punjab was so strong that neither the chief minister nor the chief secretary had the courage to announce the start of crushing season.

“They will announce the start of the crushing season when sugar mills will order them,” Bukhari claimed.

Published in Dawn, October 31st, 2023