KARACHI: While partly striking down an earlier notification about sugar cane price, a two-member bench of the Sindh High Court on Tuesday directed the provincial authorities to convene a meeting of the cabinet within the next 20 days to determine the quantum of quality premium on sugar cane payable to growers at the end of the 2018-19 crushing season.

Over 20 sugar mills have jointly filed a petition partially challenging the May 2 notification of Sindh government regarding fixing of the quality premium as well as the minimum sugar cane procurement rate at Rs182/40kg for the season.

The counsel for petitioners prayed to the bench, comprising Justice Moham­med Ali Mazhar and Justice Agha Faisal, that his clients had no objection to the first part of the impugned notification [fixing of a minimum price of the season’s sugar cane crop], but to the second part through which Sindh government had fixed the quality premium at 50 paisa/40kg cane for each 0.1 per cent (including fraction thereof to be calculated prorate) of excess sucrose recovery about 8.7 per cent determined on overall sucrose recovery basis of each mill.

Notices also issued to respondents on plea for anti-locusts operation

The counsel further contended that the matter of determining quality premium was not placed before the provincial cabinet [for an approval].

After examining minutes of the April 24 meeting of the Sindh cabinet, the bench observed that the cabinet had decided to accord a fresh approval of minimum cane procurement rate at Rs182/40kg for the 2018-19 season in the light of the directives given by the same bench since the earlier notification was struck down. However, it ruled that since the cabinet had not taken any decision about the second part of the notification, therefore, it was being struck down with direction to the province to convene a meeting of provincial cabinet within 20 days and determine the quantum of quality premium under Section 16 of the Sugar Factories Control Act, 1950.

Notices issued over locusts invasion

The same bench issued notices to the national food security and research secretary, Sindh chief secretary and other respondents on a petition pertaining to a huge locust swarm attack in the province.

The petitioner contended that the respondents had already failed to control the locusts’ attack in Balochis­tan by not carrying out aerial and ground operations. He contended that since the first generation of locusts could not be controlled, the swarm had now invaded Sindh, causing extensive damage to crops.

Impleading the national food security and research secretary, Sindh chief secretary and Sindh agriculture minister as well as

secretaries of the agriculture and supply and prices department as respondents, the petitioners sought directions for them to carry out anti-locusts operations without any further delay to protect growers’ livelihood, besides conducting a survey of the affec­ted areas [to assess losses] and providing compensation/relief to affected growers.

Published in Dawn, December 11th, 2019