HYDERABAD, Jan 19: The Sindh Agriculture Department, conceding its defeat in failing to help recover dues from sugar mills, has asked cane growers to file cases for themselves after due authorisation by the Commissioner

Sindh Cane Commissioner Nazeer Ahmed Jamali made this offer in the presence of provincial Agriculture Minister Ali Nawaz Shah and Secretary Subhago Khan Jatoi in Karachi last week while meeting the Sindh Abadgar Board headed by Abdul Majeed Nizamani.

Growers are trying hard to recover their outstanding one billion rupees of last season crop from sugar mill owners with the Sindh government giving up.

Dues at the rate of Rs67 and Rs63 per maund are outstanding as growers failed to get payments in full with reports that offered piecemeal payments were not acceptable to growers.

The cane commissioner during the meeting told growers that millers were not ready to pay their dues even on filing case by the Agriculture Department. He advised them to file complaint in hundreds for putting pressure on millers. The correspondence with mills, he said remained fruitless. This offer, he said was in accordance with the Sugar Factories Control Act which empowers Agriculture Department to authorise a grower file case on non-payment of dues by any sugar mills. The SAB would be helpful as cane growers were in hundreds and such a large number of complaints may prove beneficial, he said.

Majeed Nizami hinted at taking into consideration this offer as there were a host of issues tagged with it.

“Growers filed criminal cases against Seri sugar mills for bouncing of cheques and the mills knelt down with an apology. However, recovery of dues case is entirely a different issue”, he said.

The SAB’s delegation discussed five-point agenda with the agriculture minister and secretary regarding subsidy on agriculture implements, compensation for losses to paddy, mismanagement in distribution of fertilisers, non-payment of sugarcane dues of last year and wheat procurement.

Nizamani brought to the notice of minister the issue of quality premium being pursued by millers in apex court. He proposed the Sindh government to hire a counsel instead of Advocate General Sindh in the case to face Sharifuddin Pirzada. He said that the minister promised to move a summary to Sindh chief minister and asked SAB to send a representation in this regard.

Nizamani said that Rs50 million were given by Sindh for agriculture implements against Punjab’s whopping Rs2.7 billion. “Our contribution to production is one third therefore matching funds should be allocated for implements by the Sindh government”, he said. He said that 10,000 tractors would be provided on subsidised rates to growers while 200 tractors would be given as gift to those producing maximum yields on five acres in any tehsil.

It was suggested by the SAB delegation that since paddy growers suffered loses, they should be provided free seed for next season while in view of mismanagement in distribution of fertiliser the federal government should leave it to private companies. The delegation also opposed the government’s decision of procuring wheat in Gwadar which involves huge transportation charges that is again a national loss.