Sindh Chamber of Agriculture urges government to act against factories slowing sugarcane supply, demands better prices
HYDERABAD:
The Sindh Chamber of Agriculture (SCA) has asked the provincial government to take action against sugar mills which have slowed down the supply of sugarcane by slowing down sugar production. According to a press release issued in Hyderabad on Sunday, office-bearers and members present at a meeting of the SCA also called for increasing the procurement price of cane to Rs 600 per 40 kilograms.
The meeting, chaired by Dr Syed Nadeem Qamar, warned of a sharp reduction in wheat production in the coming season in Sindh, pointing out that last year, a 32 per cent decline was witnessed because lands in the province could not be cleared of cane cultivation, allegedly because of mills. He believed that the only way to stimulate wheat cultivation was to provide farmers with an adequate harvest price.
Qamar, who is a brother of MP Syed Navid Qamar, a senior leader of the Pakistan People’s Party, demanded a procurement price of Rs 5,000 for 40 kg of wheat besides increasing the government’s procurement target to 1.5 million tonnes. He pointed out that only about 25% of the cane grown has been harvested so far because the mills have unjustifiably delayed the purchasing process. “Thousands of tractor trolleys find themselves stuck in front of the mills for three to four days, in the hope of unloading the cane,” he lamented. According to him, such delays end up drying out the cane and reducing its sucrose content, which is why mills are advocating for a reduction in the supply rate.
Farmers present at the meeting also lamented that water rotation was still ongoing in the Sukkur Dam canals even though it was expected to end by January 21. They lamented that the ongoing repair and rehabilitation works in the Nara and Rohri canals appear substandard.
Farmers have also expressed serious concerns over falling rates of tomatoes and onions, demanding the government to immediately allow the export of these two crops.
The meeting reiterated the demand to reduce imports of the multi-billion dollar edible oil by financially assisting local farmers to cultivate the crop locally. Attention was also drawn to the financial losses suffered by date growers in Khairpur district due to export constraints over the last four years.
Zahid Hussain Bhurgari, Nabi Bux Sathio, Barrister Faisal Qadir Memon, Barrister Taimur Behrani, Sirajuddin Aulia Rashdi and Mir Abdul Kareem Talpur, among others, attended the meeting.
