MUZAFFARGARH, March 20: Growers have decided to sell their cane to brick kiln owners at ‘attractive’ rates and stopped supplying the crop to sugar mills in Muzaffargarh district. Brick kilns use it to bake bricks.

There are three sugar mills and 119 registered kilns here. Over a dozen are working without registration.

Six months ago, brick kilns used husk as fuel which had created shortage for livestock because the husk is used as fodder. Kilns are working round the clock owing to construction boom. Kiln owners buy wood at Rs250 to Rs300 per 40kg. But due to shortage of husk many farmers have sold their animals. Now the husk is short in supply due to wheat off-season, so these kiln owners have decided to use sugarcane as fuel.

A meeting of brick kiln owners at Gujrat Qasba decided that they would give Rs10 more to cane growers than sugar mills rates.

Allah Bux, a kiln owner at Gujrat Qasba, told this correspondent that they would make payment to growers immediately.

Sugar mills procure cane at different rates, but below Rs60 per maund. Kiln owners decided to purchase cane at Rs70 to 90 per 40kg. The district is facing wood shortage with price ranging between Rs200 and Rs250 per maund.

EDO (community development) Malik Khair Muhammad Budh said he would take action against kiln owners if they used cane.

“On the directions of DCO Dr Akhtar Nazir Warraich, I have constituted a team which will check these kilns,” he said.

District officer (labour) Rana Jamshed was not available for comments.