RAHIM YAR KHAN: Sugarcane farmers are facing difficulties at some sugar mills in the district regarding illegal deductions, discrimination in the name of varieties, issuance of the advertisement of non-varieties, double weighing and misbehaviour.

This was disclosed in a letter to the cane commissioner by the authorised growers’ representatives (AGRs), Jamil Nasir Chaudhry and Muhammad Irshad Ahmed. They were nominated by the cane commissioner through an order, dated Dec 27, in an exercise of powers conferred under Rule 13(7) of the Sugar Factories (Control) Rules1950(I).

Both the representatives would check weights and examine the cane purchase receipts (CPRs) in which the weight of sugarcane is recorded at sugar mills.

According to the first report submitted by Jamil Nasir to a cane commissioner on Jan 1, it was alleged that on the complaint of sugarcane growers, he visited the Etihad Sugar Mills, Karamabad and Chaudhry Sugar Mills, Kot Samaba, on an emergency basis. He found that both the sugar mills were involved in financial loss to the farmers by doing illegal practices, violating the Sugarcane Factories Control Act. Furthermore, the Etihaad Mills had issued an illegal document about non-varieties including (US.235.272,284.219.658,SP.219.93) and Jhang.59.

The sugar mills have blacklisted these varieties after forcibly deducting 100 to 150 pounds from a trolley. While the deduction of 50 to 75 pounds per trolley was continued for mix-varieties and deduction on unripe sugarcane and its outer layer was a separate practice of sugar mills. The payment of sugarcane was being made after 15 days.

Similarly, each sugar mill uses two separate computerised ledgers, first, a non-claimable filled ledger to show the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) for saving tax and second, the actual claimable filled ledger for the owners of mills. The Chaudhry Mills was involved in late payments and releasing the hazardous waste water in the 3/R Minor Canal and the mills had no parking yard, causing accidents on the road.

Mr Nasir said in his letter that the deputy commissioner, assistant commissioner and district officer industries, were not interested in taking legal action against these mills.

Meanwhile, Mr Irshad, in his letter, told Jamal the Din Wali Sugar Mills Unit 1 on Jan10 when he and Nasir reached there, the spokesperson Muhammad Khalid said that there were four units of the JDW mills. The spokesperson said that the administration had installed water treatment plants to purify the poisonous and polluted water. When the AGRs requested to show those plants, he did not show them.

However, Senior Engineer Irrigation Imtaiz Hussain told Dawn that on the complaints of sugarcane growers, he ordered the EXEN and the SDO to submit a report on disposing of contaminated water into the canals by the mills.

When contacted the deputy commissioner and assistant commissioner, did not reply to the call of this correspondent for their version.

One of the owners of the Etihad mills, Haji Ibrahim, said Jamil Nasir was not the real representative of the growers and that he wanted to blackmail the sugar mills. The JWD mills and Chaudhry Sugar Mills representatives not available.

Published in Dawn, January 16th, 2024