FAISALABAD: Already perturbed by a massive increase in input costs and general price hike, the sugarcane growers lament delay in the start of crushing by the millers and apathy of the government, saying it will leave them unable to sow wheat for the next season.

Officially, the millers have to start crushing on Nov 15, but so far they have neither given any definite date for starting the process, nor buying the crop from farmers.

Moreover, the government also neither announced the sugarcane rate, nor the date for crushing for the season.

A couple of days ago, the cane growers staged a demonstration outside a sugar mills at Samundri and demanded the administration should announce an early date for start of crushing sugarcane, to save the grower from suffering huge financial losses. Any action is awaited.

Also demand fixing of official sugarcane rate

Pakistan Kissan Ittehad president Khalid Mehmood said the growers were being exploited both by the government and the millers as nothing was being done to start purchase of their crop so that they could lift the produce from their fields to prepare the land for sowing the wheat crop for the next season.

He said sugar rate had touched Rs75 to Rs80 per kilogram, while the government was only mulling over fixing the sugarcane rate between Rs180 to Rs190 per mound.

He said the cost of sugarcane production had also increased manifold over the last one and a half years as the rate of DAP fertilizer surged from Rs2,300 per sac to Rs3,700, while Urea rate too had gone up from Rs1,300 per sac to more than Rs2,000.

Similarly, he said the diesel price had increased from Rs70 per litre to Rs126 and electricity rate surged from Rs5 per unit to Rs15-Rs20 on an average.

He complained of the government’s tilt towards millers and said it always looked after their interests while ignoring the farmers who were being crushed by the price hike.

Last year, he said, a Rs6.60 per kilogram subsidy was given to the sugar mills, but the farmers were told by the people at the helm of affairs that the World Bank had restricted subsidy to them.

“I wonder how the subsidy is allowed for the millers and the traders, but no helping hand is being extended to the farmers who toil day and night to fulfill the [food] needs of the country”, he said, adding that it seemed the government only cared for the influential people, while “the farmers were just aliens for the rulers”.

Mr Mehmood said last year wheat production had remained 25 to 30 percent lower than the target, apprehending it might remain low this season too.

Similarly, he said, the production of rice also remained 30 to 35 percent lower than the target, while both maize and cotton yields were 40pc less than what was being aimed.

He lamented that reduction in the major crops production had further burdened the farmers, while the government was looking other way.

Rana Sami, a farmer, said the millers had been saying the crushing would start on Nov 25 farmers, but the date was not final. He said the farmers were facing problems because of the indifferent attitude of the millers and the district administration.

He said any delay in the crushing on part of the millers would force farmers to consider other crops for sowing, instead of wheat.

Faisalabad Kissan Ittehad Board president Mian Rehan said the sugarcane crop was ready for the harvest but the millers had not stated buying the yield so far, which would ultimately delay the wheat sowing. This would inflict heavy financial losses on the poor farmers, he regretted.

He said it was the government’s duty to protect farmers interest by pressing the millers to start crushing which was actually due on Nov 15.

Commissioner Javeed Mehmood, who was sent a query regarding the cane growers concern on Sunday on WhatsApp, did saw the message but chose not to reply.

A district administration officer, requesting anonymity, said it was cane commissioner’s duty to ensure timely commencement of crushing and that the district administration was not solely responsible for the delay.

“Being the district administration, we are just facilitators”, he added.

Published in Dawn, November 20th, 2019