Millers warned against delay in sugarcane crushing

DERA ISMAIL KHAN: A senior administration official has warned millers to start procurement and crushing of sugarcane season within a couple of days or else the matter would be brought into the notice of the provincial government.

The agreement between the sugar-mills and district administration on the commencement of crushing season 2017-18 is still in the doldrums. Talking to this scribe, Commissioner Javed Khan Marwat deplored that sugar mills were paying no heed to the repeated directives of the government to commence the crushing process.

The official said the Food Department and other bodies would be apprised of the issue. He said the administration held talks multiple times with the growers and mills authorities in line with directions by the high-ups to ensure starting of the crushing season. Also, the land-owners and growers recently held talks with Station Commander of Pakistan Army Rao Imran Sartaj and Commissioner Dera Javed Khan Marwat following a protest rally the other day.

The commencement of crushing season was scheduled from November 30. To a question as to why the millers were evading government warnings on the timely commencement of crushing season, Nadeem Mirza, general manager of Chasma Sugar Mills-I said that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government had a precedent that Punjab government had released the Rs2.90 billion subsidy and the PASBAN, a representative body of the growers had also endorsed it in a press release.

He said that immediately the mills began crushing. He added that the head of KP Sugar Mills owners had approached the provincial government to initiate talks but still there was no headway.

A delegation of growers and local landlords led by Haroon Awan told media that still there were some elements in the management of the Chasma Sugar Mills-I, Chasma Sugar Mills-II, Tandlianwala Sugar Mills Miran and Al-Moieez Sugar Mills causing hindrance in the smooth supply of sugarcane to factories on different pretexts.

The sale points and the procurement centres across the district were still not being opened to ensure timely issuance of indent-pass to growers. The factory authorities are also blamed for obtaining the prior endorsement of the farmers on a prescribed proforma/undertaking pertaining to the procurement of sugarcanes on the lower rate that starts from Rs140 to Rs150 per kg.