LAHORE: Sugar millers remain divided over the start of the cane-crushing season, as the government has decided to take action against 17 factories for failing to fire boilers at their respective units on Thursday.

Ramzan Sugar Mills in Chiniot, owned by the Sharif family, began crushing a few days ago, while Jahangir Khan Tareen’s units fired up their boilers on Wednesday.

Ali Khan Tareen, Jahangir Tareen’s son, tweeted on Friday evening that their mills had begun crushing.

On Thursday, he tweeted, “In accordance with the direction of the Punjab government, we will start our mills tomorrow. We are also pleased with their decision to raise the minimum cane price from Rs225 to Rs300. Given the rise in input costs, this increase was critical for farmers.”

In yet another tweet he said that their cane development teams worked hard this year to help farmers increase yields and fight against increased pest/fungus attacks due to heavy rainfall.

“Hope their effort pays off & farmers across the region get higher yields. Because if farmers don’t prosper neither do we.”

Chief Secretary Abdullah Khan Sumbal at a meeting on Thursday decided to issue notices to the 17 sugar mills that have not fired their boilers so far.

The chief secretary directed Cane Commissioner Hussain Bahadar Ali Shah to take action against those millers not following the official orders of making their units operational by Nov 25.

Published in Dawn, November 26th, 2022

Follow Dawn Business on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook for insights on business, finance and tech from Pakistan and across the world.

Opinion

Editorial

Short-changed?
Updated 24 Nov, 2024

Short-changed?

As nations continue to argue, the international community must recognise that climate finance is not merely about numbers.
Overblown ‘threat’
24 Nov, 2024

Overblown ‘threat’

ON the eve of the PTI’s ‘do or die’ protest in the federal capital, there seemed to be little evidence of the...
Exclusive politics
24 Nov, 2024

Exclusive politics

THERE has been a gradual erasure of the voices of most marginalised groups from Pakistan’s mainstream political...
Counterterrorism plan
Updated 23 Nov, 2024

Counterterrorism plan

Lacunae in our counterterrorism efforts need to be plugged quickly.
Bullish stock market
23 Nov, 2024

Bullish stock market

NORMALLY, stock markets rise gradually. In recent months, however, Pakistan’s stock market has soared to one ...
Political misstep
Updated 23 Nov, 2024

Political misstep

To drag a critical ally like Saudi Arabia into unfounded conspiracies is detrimental to Pakistan’s foreign policy.