HYDERABAD, Oct 1: None of the 28 sugar mills of Sindh has started crushing cane for the 2006-07 season on October 1 as per the notification issued by the Sindh government.

According to reports, all the mills are lying closed and there is no possibility whatsoever that the mills will start operation before Eidul Fitr.

It will be relevant to point out here that it is necessary to light up the boilers at least eight days before a mill is made operational.

However, this process has not been started as yet.

Sources in the cane commissioner’s office said that the report in this regard is being sent to the provincial secretary agriculture.

The Sindh government has issued a notification fixing the minimum price of sugarcane at the rate of Rs67 per 40 kg in addition to the premium which according to the notification will be paid at the end of the crushing season, keeping in view the percentage of sucrose extracted from the cane.

The abadgars, it appears, are also not prepared to harvest sugarcane during the sacred month of Ramazan.

However, some abadgars believed that the sugar mills as usual are trying to blackmail the government.

The president, Pakistan Sugar Mills Association, Sindh chapter, Mr.Wajid Arain was not available on his cell phone.

However, it is quite obvious that if the crushing season was not started soon after Eidul Fitr, the cultivation of wheat crop will be seriously affected as wheat is sown in the same fields after the harvesting of sugarcane.