BADIN, Feb 4: Five Badin-based sugarcane growers organisations have warned the sugar mills operating in the district either to lift their cane crop at the government fixed rate or face an agitation right after the chehlum of Benazir Bhutto.

The warning came in shape of a resolution passed at a joint meeting of the growers organisations here on Monday.

Presided over by Mohammad Nawaz Memon, the meeting was attended among others by Syed Zafar Ali Shah, Abdul Jabbar Gopang besides growers, activists of chamber of agriculture, laar abadgar board, Sindh abadgar board, saheli abadgar association and abadgar welfare association.

They said the growers were under financial constraints as the mill owners were sucking their blood through brokers.

They claimed that sugar mills of the district were lifting cane at the rate of Rs56 per 40kg against Rs63 fixed by the government.

The millers had further reduced the rate to Rs55, taking benefits of the problems being faced by them. They termed it a punishment to the growers who had no option but to sell their produce to these millers at throwaway price.

They warned the millers that brokers would not prove to be their permanent friends and instead rely on growers and protect their interests. They also criticised the government which seemed to be helpless while the millers were strong enough and defying the government orders.

They warned the millers that if they continued their negative practices, the growers would launch a drive against them and take legal steps and protests after the chehlum of Benazir Bhutto, for which the owners would be responsible.

They demanded of the president, prime minister and other high-ups to make it a binding on the mill owners to purchase the sugarcane on government-fixed rates.

CHEHLUM: The PPP district executive committee Badin at its meeting presided over by Dr Sikandar Ali Mandhro here on Monday decided to observe the chehlum of Benazir Bhutto on February 7, at government high school ground Badin.