HYDERABAD, Oct 22: The Sindh Small Growers Association has appealed to farmers not to cultivate sugarcane from next year and opt for other cash crops. Speaking at a news conference at the press club here on Friday, the president of the association , Deewan Arumal, general secretary Mustafa Laghari, Mir Pervez advocate, Ghulam Rasool Laghari and Siddique Otho said the sugarcane growers had suffered losses due to an inordinate delay in the start of crushing season since 2002.

"The obduracy of sugar mill owners and indifferent attitude of the government have made them bankrupt" they said. They said last year the government had fixed the rate of sugarcane at Rs43 per 40 kg but it withdrew its notification and fixed the rate of Rs41 per 40 kg.

The dates about the start of crushing season were changed several times and finally the mill owners started it in the month of December. "As a result the small cane growers suffered losses to the tune of billions of rupees" they said.

They said this year Sindh Chief Minister Arbab Ghulam Rahim had announced on Sept 19 that if the sugar mill owners failed to start the crushing season from Oct 1, they would be arrested.

They said Mr Arbab again announced on Sept 29 that if they did not start the crushing from Oct 15, they would be prosecuted. They said for the third time, the chief minister extended the date of crushing season upto Oct 20.

They said not only this but billions of rupees of growers were outstanding against the sugar mills but no action had been taken against them. They said Dadu and Thatta sugar mills were owned by the government therefore it should pay arrears of Rs84 million to growers.

They said the wheat production of Sindh would be reduced by 400,000 tons due to delay in the start of crushing season. The leaders of the small growers said that the government had fixed support price of seed cotton at Rs925 per maund but the small growers were forced to sell their crop at Rs600 to Rs700.

They said not only this but the ginners were deducting four to five kg per maund while weighing cotton. They demanded that the government should ensure the procurement of cotton through the TCP at the official rate.

They demanded that Kalabagh dam and Thal canal projects should be abandoned forever and the disposal of the entire country's saline water into sea through the LBOD and the RBOD be stopped.

WATER SHARE: Growers of the 1AL watercourse, Berani Shakh, have complained that they are being deprived of their water share for 16 years by influential farmers and despite their hue and cry authorities concerned have failed to redress their grievances.