HYDERABAD: A drop of close to 50,000 hectares or 15 per cent in overall sugar cane cultivation has been reported in Sindh in 2018-19 season due to a variety of reasons, ranging from water shortage to sugar millers’ obstinacy not to pay official rate, belated payments to growers and dilly-dallying on start of crushing season by sugar factories.

Official sources claimed that cane cultivation figures were being compiled but reports coming out of relevant quarters indicated that a drop of close to 50,000 hectares could not be ruled out. Sugar cane growers also claim that a number of sugar millers have confirmed to them that the sweetener’s cultivation had dropped in their areas.

Sugar cane sowing target in Sindh has remained stuck at 320,000ha over the last four years since 2014-15. In 2013-14 season, cane was cultivated on 299,000ha against the sowing target of 269,000ha, prompting the provincial agriculture department to increase the target in subsequent years to 320,000ha. In the last season of 2017-18, 333,000ha were brought under cane cultivation against the same sowing target.

The official date of the start of cane crushing season draws nearer but it brings no joy to cane producers who look forward to it with great trepidation because of nerve-racking rounds of meetings over cane’s price fixation.

The belated cane harvest, according to the cane growers, always benefits sugar millers because it increases recovery of sucrose content in the crop and decreases the cane’s weight. Farmers get payment of sugar cane on the basis of per 40kg weight of their crop. It is why sugar millers delay start of crushing on lame excuse that the crop has not matured yet.

As sucrose recovery increases and crosses benchmark of 8.7pc, the payment of quality premium to growers also gets due.

Sugar cane growers expect the government to initiate the process of fixation of indicative price as it is the right time to discuss the issue and ensure the crushing starts on time. But there are no signs yet the Sindh government is gearing up for convening a meeting of millers and growers’ representatives in October.

Sindh Abadgar Board vice president Mahmood Nawaz Shah says a number of mills have confirmed to growers that there is 20pc to 25pc drop in cane acreage in their area and he believes when the final sowing figures are compiled the actual loss per acre may rise to 35pc. “In the last crushing season, the growers had suffered badly on account of payment of cane price fixed by the government and then by the Sindh High Court,” he remarks.

According to Sugar Factories Control Act the crushing season is to start not later than Nov 30 and as per later provisions in the law, the crushing is supposed to commence in October.

As soon as the government notifies date for the crushing season, growers prepare to harvest their crop and ready their land for wheat sowing. In the last crushing season, sugar millers had

suspended the crushing after starting it in December for around a fortnight on the ground that they were unable to pay the price of Rs172 per 40kg fixed by Sindh High Court.

The mills had then resumed the crushing in January but did not make payments in time and made matters worse for growers over accounts as millers had insisted not to issue CPR (cane price receipt) to growers.

Water shortage during early Kharif also had negative implications for the cane crop and it was believed to have affected the crop’s overall health. Water availability is likely to be affected in the days to come during Rabi season as well which can hit the crop even further.

“Such back-to-back problems forced growers, in many cases, to burn their cane crop and sell it. Once the crop is burnt, its leaves are lost and the bare cane is sold at lesser rate after deductions. Many desperate growers even go for this option only to free their land for wheat cultivation,” he says.

Published in Dawn, September 27th, 2018