MUZAFFARGARH, Jan 29: Farmers have decided not to grow sugarcane this year because of `humiliation’ and difficulties in getting dues from sugar mill owners and activities of `agent mafia.’

This correspondent has observed that many farmers in Muzaffargarh are not cultivating sugarcane now because of low rate and difficulties in getting money from mills.

The crushing season has begun in the first week of January in Muzaffargarh district but millers are not offering reasonable rates to farmers here.

This time two mills in the district are buying sugarcane at Rs60 per 40kg while the third one is offering Rs62 per 40 kilo. Last year the rate was Rs80 per 40kg and farmers are facing loss this year. But despite declaring Rs60 or 62 per 40kg, the mills are not purchasing sugarcane.

Millers have arranged many private buyers who offer just Rs55 or 56 per 40 kilo and buy the crop from farmers.

Dawn has learnt that last year the mill owners hired private brokers who took attractive rates from millers but they bought sugarcane from farmers at cheaper prices. These private brokers have set up scales outside the mills and on main roads of Muzaffargarh district. Some scales are faulty and do not give accurate measurement to farmers.

Ameer Bakhsh, a sugarcane farmer of Mahmoodkot, says the agent mafia is now active again at the behest of mill owners. He says if farmers do not give their crop to agents and sell directly to mills, then millers do not give money to farmers on time and make payments in months. Therefore, most of the millers have set up scales outside their units where their employees buy sugarcane at low rate and then `sell’ it to mills.

Abdul Hameed, a private buyer of sugarcane, says his is a big risky business because sometimes the sugar mills stop payment, but he is regular and punctual to give the money to farmers at the spot.

Last year the farmers had boycotted sugar mills and supplied their crop to crushing machines which made `Gur’ and earned good profits.

District agriculture official Jamshed Sindhu says farmers grow sugarcane on 100,000 acres in the district.

“Sugar mills should work for farmers and provide DAP and new variety of seed of sugarcane to farmers.”

Malik Ijaz Husain, a sugarcane grower, says the government should help farmers and form a team for checking these scales and private buyers.