HYDERABAD, Nov 4: The Sindh Small Growers’ Association has threatened that it will launch a protest movement from Nov 9 if sugar mills are not made operational and dues of growers with mark-up are not paid by Nov 7.

Speaking at a news conference at the press club here on Tuesday, SSGA president Deewan Arumal, general-secretary Ghulam Mustafa Leghari and other leaders said 380 million maunds of sugarcane throughout the province were being destroyed due to the delay in the crushing season.

They pointed out that sugar mills had to start the crushing season between Oct 1 to 15 under the Sugarcane Control Act.

They lashing out at the government for just making an announcement about the start of the crushing season after protest by growers but not issuing any notification to mills in this regard.

The growers’ leaders claimed that owners had decided to start their mills at their own convenience and pay the sugarcane price according to their own will.

They further said mill owners had also made it clear that they would not pay quality premium to growers.

They expressed the apprehension that not only 380 million maunds of standing sugarcane crop would be destroyed but the wheat crop would also not be cultivated if the mills were not made operational immediately.

Under the circumstances, the association leaders said, growers would suffer huge losses and the country would face wheat crisis.

They said it appeared as if the rulers were in league with the mill owners and observed that it could be the reason they were unable to implement their orders.

They said the mills owed about Rs3 billion to growers in the shape of sugarcane price, quality premium and surcharge. The mark-up on the dues had climbed to millions of rupees but the rulers had failed to persuade the mill owners to clear the amount, they added.

The leaders demanded that a package should be announced for small growers and peasants of Sindh, bank loans be waived off and fresh loans be sanctioned for them as they had been financially destroyed by the acute shortage of water during the last four years and the recent heavy rains and floods.

They further said the sugar mills should be forced to pay compensation to growers for causing losses of billions of rupees.

They regretted that the cotton crop had been destroyed due to the supply of spurious pesticides and fertilizers.

The growers’ leaders demanded that criminal cases should be registered against manufacturers of substandard pesticides and fertilizers and they be forced to compensate cotton growers for their losses.

They said a special package should be announced for growers of Badin and Thatta districts whose lands had come under rain and flood water.

They opposed construction of water projects on the River Indus.