MIRPURKHAS, Feb 16: The Sindh Sugarcane Growers Association (SSGA), Mirpurkhas district, has threatened to block the railway track and the National Highway to press for acceptance of growers’ demands.

Speaking at a meeting, held here on Saturday, SSGA leader and MNA Syed Qurban Ali Shah deplored no relief had been provided to growers despite they were assured by the government and members of the National Assembly that their problems would soon be resolved.

He said about 28 sugar mills were not paying the government-fixed price of sugarcane to growers.

Calling for action against owners of these sugar mills, he deplored no legal proceedings were initiated against the owners.

The SSGA leader warned growers would detain mill owners and managers, and also those responsible for water theft.

He said on the one hand a small area could be cultivated in Sindh due to the shortage of water and on the other, growers were not being paid reasonable prices for their crops.

He said in the past, two million tons of sugar was produced in Sindh but now less than one million tons of sugar had been produced in the province.

The meeting, which was attended by a large number of growers, reviewed the present situation and discussed problems confronting growers.

The meeting said the government should redress grievances of growers and ask sugar mill owners to accept demands of growers.

The general secretary of the SSGA, Mohammad Umer Bughio, said sugarcane growers were suffering losses and if excesses of sugar mills continued, they would be compelled to cultivate other crops.

He said this would affect the local market and would also lead to shortage of sugar in the country.

He said sugar mills had also refused to lend seeds and fertilizers to growers.

ACCIDENT: A man was killed and two others were injured when a Datsun pickup collided head-on with a tractor-trolley on the Umerkot-Mirpurkhas road near 16-Mile, Mori, on Saturday night.

The driver of the pickup, Abdul Latif Baloch, 25, died on the spot and Abdul Wahid Baloch and Kamran Baloch were injured in the accident.