HYDERABAD, Jan 27: The Sindh Abadgar Tehrik on Sunday threatened protest demonstrations across the province if the mill owners refused growers the price of sugarcane they had agreed to pay.The central organiser of the Tehrik, Ghulam Mustafa Leghari, and deputy organiser Deewan Arumal said at a news conference at the press club that the government, with the consent of Pakistan Sugar Mills Association (PSMA), had fixed minimum price of sugarcane for the current season at Rs67 per 40 kilogram.

They said that with 100 per cent increase in the prices of fertilisers, diesel, pesticides and seeds the price of sugarcane should have been fixed at Rs80 per 40 kg, still the growers accepted it. But the mill owners did not honour the agreement and compelled growers to accept Rs57 to Rs60 per 40 kg. The growers protested and the government once again convened a meeting on Jan 21 with PSMA and some growers, who agreed on a new rate of Rs63 per 40 kg, although it was not acceptable to majority of growers, they said.

Again the mill owners did not bother to stick to the agreement even for a day. The very next day after agreeing to the new rate, they forced growers to sell sugarcane at Rs55 to Rs57 per 40 kg, they said.

They said that the significant cuts in the price of sugarcane on the one hand inflicted Rs4 billion losses on the growers while on the other the belated start in crushing season delayed wheat sowing season for months.

This year, wheat could not be grown on 400,000 acres, which might result in 400,000 tons shortfall in production, and an additional loss of Rs2 billion to the growers, they feared.

Delay in harvest had also led to reduction in cane’s weight, causing growers a further loss of Rs1 billion, they said.

The mills had put the issue of quality premium on the back burner for past eight years and withheld payment of a huge amount of Rs20 billion in this regard, they said.

Besides, the mills were yet to pay Rs190 million in terms of surcharge tax although the issue had been decided six years ago, they said. They alleged that mills deducted 40 to 50 maunds per trolley of sugarcane, which was absolutely illegal, and accused ministers and advisers of caretaker government of being privy to this unholy practice.They demanded that the mill owners should be directed to pay official rate, pay back arrears to growers and stop the practice of purchasing sugarcane under fictitious names.

The mills should pay quality premium and surcharge without any delay and put and end to the illegal practice of deducting sugarcane, they said.

They warned that if the demands were not accepted within three days, the growers would stage demonstrations across the province with the first demonstration in Tando Muhammad Khan on Jan 31.

Demonstration: Activists of the United Human Rights Commission of Pakistan staged a demonstration outside the press club on Sunday, demanding withdrawal of cases registered against innocent people after the assassination of Ms Benazir Bhutto.

The secretary general of the commission Rana Faizul Hassan demanded that the elections should be held under the supervision of army and Rangers.