Sucrose recovery percentage in sugarcane

ISLAMABAD: In a new development, the Inquiry Commission on Increase in Sugar Prices has further widened its scope of probe as it has asked the Ministry of Science ad Technology to determine the average sucrose recovery percentage in sugarcane varieties cultivated in south Punjab, KPK and Sindh and submit the report within a week's time, reveals the official documents available with The News.

The inquiry commission deems that the sucrose recovery percentage in sugarcane varieties in Pakistan has an important role in increase in sugar price as well as in making windfall profits of sugar mill owners.

Apart from knowing the reasons for increase in sugar price, the Inquiry Commission will also prepare the report about the affairs pertaining to operational mechanism of each sugar mill. However, the Ministry of Science and Technology has refused to prepare a report within a week saying that the said report can only be made during the crushing season. However, it advised the inquiry commission on how to get the answers of the question it has tabled before science and technology ministry. In a letter signed by DG FIA Wajid Zia on April 05, 2020 addressed to secretary Ministry of Science and Technology, the panel pleaded that there is no independent mechanism for determining the sucrose recovery percentage from sugarcane in the country and it is observed that the percentage is much higher in other sugarcane cultivating countries vis-à-vis Pakistan. "So the Inquiry Commission wants the ministry to conduct laboratory tests independently and determine the average sucrose recovery percentage in sugarcane varieties cultivated in south Punjab, Sindh and KP." According to the letter, the inquiry commission sought the information within one week's time positively.

However, in response to the inquiry commission, Dr Mrs Naseem Rauf, Member (Science) in the Ministry of Science and Technology, said that the PCSIR (Pakistan Council of Scientific and Industrial Research) laboratories complexes in Lahore, Karachi and Peshawar have the facilities to determine sucrose percentage in sugarcane and average sucrose percentage recovery in sugarcane.

In the letter, she also highlighted the fact that the average sucrose percentage in sugarcane should be determined in crushing season as sucrose percentage may vary during the season. Furthermore, sucrose recovery percentage depends upon the varieties, maturity stage, climate, soil and plantation time.

In the letter, the Ministry of Science and Technology also suggested to the inquiry commission to adopt the sampling plan to have clear picture on sucrose content in different varieties.