LAHORE, Oct 9: The Pakistan Agri Forum, the Kissan Board and the Pakistan Industrial and Traders Associations Front have criticised the government for bowing to the pressure of sugar mills and delaying crushing season.

Pakistan Agri Forum chairman Ibrahim Mughal, Kissan Board president Sadiq Khakwani and PIAF president Mian Abuzar Shad said the crushing season was to start on Oct 15, but the government had allowed its start from Nov 1 in Sindh and Nov 15 in Punjab without consulting farmers.

They said delay in crushing season would force the farmers to make ‘gur’ of their sugarcane or burn the crop. The farmers delaying harvesting of sugarcane for selling it to the mills would not be able to sow the wheat crop in time and suffer an irreparable loss.