Govt delay in fixing sugar cane price irks growers

HYDERABAD: The Sindh Abadgar Ittehad’s (SAI) monthly meeting was told on Sunday that sugar cane crushing has been under way for a month but the provincial government is yet to fix the price of sugar cane procurement.

The meeting held with SAI President Nawab Zubair Talpur in chair was told that the notification has been issued but the price has not been fixed, due to which sugar mills have come up with their own rates, which is causing financial losses to growers.

SAI demanded fixing sugar cane procurement price at Rs450 per maund. They said that in the name of varieties in the province, the price of sugar cane is being reduced on a large scale, which is unfair to farmers.

They added that the process must be stopped and the price of sugar cane procurement should be fixed at government level. Growers were informed that a hearing of the sugar cane case will be held at the Sindh High Court on Tuesday (tomorrow).

Growers also expressed concern over the federal government’s plan to construct six new canals on the Indus River, saying that even Punjab is voicing concerns against the Centre’s plan.

Growers said the government should end such an “anti-national” project. They said Sindh’s people would never tolerate the destruction of their river because there is already a shortage of water in the province.

Talpur said the annual closure of canals would start on December 25, adding that the irrigation department conducts its repairs only on paper. He said that due to a lack of lining of branches and the cutting of drains, there is water shortage every year and the destruction of drains in monsoons. The meeting decided that the general body meeting of SAI would be held in Sheikh Bhirkio in January, and that the leaders of all the districts of the province would participate in it.