Crushing season

Sugarcane is a long duration crop as compared to other cash crops grown in the country. Farmers face a host of problems like increase in the cost of inputs, high labour and water rates, etc, and in the end are at the mercy of sugar mill owners.

The issue of sugarcane support price has been a point of contention between sugar mills and farmers for quite some time now. For crushing season 2015-16, the Punjab government has announced Rs180 per 40kg as support price. While sugar mills in Peshawar and Mardan have followed suit and started sugarcane crushing from mid-November, the Sindh government has yet to announce the support price for the 2015-16 crushing season. It is hoped that sugarcane crushing will be started soon all over the country while respective provincial governments will ensure timely payment of outstanding dues to farmers.

Khan Faraz

Peshawar