HYDERABAD, Nov 3: Only six of the 32 sugar mills in Sindh started crushing of sugarcane till Wednesday whereas 15 others have fired their boilers.

According to information received in the office of Sindh Cane Commissioner, the six sugar mills are Al-Abbas, Habib, Al-Noor, Matiari, Mehran and Sakrand. The mills which have fired their boilers included Abdullah Shah Ghazi (Al-Asif), Army Welfare, Digri, Faran, Kiran, Rohri, Mirpurkhas, Jamal Deen Wali, Mirza, Pangrio, Sairi, Sindh Abadgar, Tando Mohammad Khan, Tharparkar and Sardar Ghulam Mohammad Mahar.

The sugar mills which did not fire their boilers yet included Najma, Deewan Budho Talpur, Naudero, New Dadu, Bawani, Dewan Khoskhi, Ranipur, Khairpur, Laar, Shah Murad and Sanghar.

The Sindh government for the third time notified the government-fixed crushing's date in November apparently to avoid embarrassment it has to face each time when crushing season begins.

It was due to the fact that sugar mill owners did not start crushing as per announced date in October, which according to growers' claim is requirement under the Sugar Factories Control Act too. They say that the act calls for crushing's commencement by Oct 1.Last year and before that year, date for commencement of crushing remained the same. Previously, whenever the government fixed date in October, millers did not comply with it and began crushing whenever they liked.

They often argue that sugarcane is not matured or the cane growers do not supply cane to them.

But growers argue otherwise, saying that they are not issued indent for cane's supply and unjustified deductions in cane are slapped on their produce when its harvesting is delayed.

CANE COMMISSIONER: The cane commissioner has not yet been posted in the office after former officer Imtiaz Shah left for attending some training.

Soaring prices of sugar require the presence of a cane commissioner in office.

“There is a serious crisis of sugar, but the cane commissioner is not yet posted by the Sindh government,” said Abdul Majeed Nizamani, president of the Sindh Abadgar Board.