HYDERABAD, Jan 31: Expressing thanks to the Sindh caretaker chief minister for convening a tripartite meeting of the sugar mill owners, growers and government officials to resolve the sugarcane price issue by reducing its price from Rs67 per 40kg to Rs63 per 40kg, the Sindh Abadgar Board has observed that the growers are still being exploited by the mill owners and they were not being paid even the reduced price.

In a communication addressed to the chief minister, a copy of which was faxed to Dawn on Thursday, SAB president Abdul Majeed Nizamani and general secretary Mehmood Nawaz Shah said that the meeting was convened in line with the demands of the Pakistan Sugar Mills Association to reduce the sugarcane price.

They said that the government at this meeting had assured the growers of solution of their problems if they agreed to reduction in sugarcane prices. On the assurance, the growers agreed to the fixing of reduced price, they said but regretted that the mill owners were violating the agreement.

They said that the prevailing rate being paid to the growers was between Rs54 to Rs60 per 40kg and added that the middle man was purchasing sugarcane at the rate of Rs41 to Rs48 per 40kg.

They complained that the mill owners were also not issuing payment bills to the growers on time and the growers found it difficult to make payment to their share holders (peasants) and farm labour.

They said that the mills were also making illegal deductions in sugarcane weight, refusing to accept certain varieties of sugarcane, not issuing indents to growers and encouraging middle men.

They said that the PSMA had even threatened to stop payments to the hapless growers if the arbitrary and unilateral demands of the mills were not accepted. They said that a huge amount of Rs7 billions of the growers was outstanding against the sugar mills.

Under these circumstances and due to heavy losses carried forward from cotton and paddy crops, the growers were facing financial crisis, the SAB leaders said.

They said it was the duty of the Sindh government to enforce its writ, decisions and agreements and appealed to the chief minister to prevent the sugar mills cartel from exploiting the growers.

WORKERS: The Sindh committee of the Pakistan Sugar Mills Workers Federation has circulated an open letter against the sugar mill owners and said that several sugar mills have refused to recognise CBA unions.