HYDERABAD, Dec 3: On the call of the Pakistan Sugar Mills Association, Sindh Zone, almost all sugar mills have stopped crushing of sugarcane.

Three sugar mills in Nawabshah district - Habib, Sakrand and Al-Noor -- are likely to close down from Saturday (today).

Sindh Cane Commissioner Nazar Mohammad Baloch told Dawn that the PSMA, Sindh Zone, was meeting in Karachi on Monday to review the situation. Mr Baloch said there was no justification for sugar mill owners to suspend crushing as the supply of sugarcane had gained momentum.

Sindh Abadgar Board President Majeed Nizamani said it was due to the callous attitude of mill owners that sugarcane growers had lost heart and were switching over to other crops.

He accused the mill owners of blackmailing not only in payment but also in weighing. Mr Nizamani said the mills had not started crushing season on time and now announced the arbitrary close down.

THATTA: All four sugar mills - Laar, Al-Asif, Dewan and Shah Murad - have suspended crushing. The mills remained operational only for 12 days. Source said about five million maunds of sugarcane were still to be harvested in Mirpur Bathoro taluka alone.

NAWABSHAH: Growers of Nawabshah and Naushahro Feroze districts have criticised the decision of the PSMA for suspending cane crushing. Ali Mohammad Shah Lakyari, the information secretary of the Sindh Abadgar Board Nawabshah, said that it was a wrong decision as cane was available for crushing. He said the arbitrary closure by mills would badly affect wheat sowing and other crops and growers would sustain heavy losses.

SANGHAR: Small Growers Association leaders Hassan Askari, Ali Khan Jamali and Khalil Baloch have criticized the suspension of crushing by sugar mills. They said the mills wanted to deprive growers of price fixed by the government. They said they would not be able to sow wheat because their land would be prepared if the sugar mills start crushing after 15 days.

KHAIRPUR: The Ranipur Sugar Mills claimed on Friday that they had purchased sugarcane from growers. Members of the Sugarcane Action Committee Gambat and Sobhodero taluka staged a demonstration against two sugar mills of Khairpur in Agra-Saghiyoon on Friday.

Sindh Hari Committee leader Ismail Qureshi led the protest. Mr Qureshi said that growers had sustained heavy losses and cane was drying due to suspension of crushing season.

BADIN: All sugar mills in Badin district suspended crushing on Friday except the Ansari Sugar Mills in Matli. The general manager of the Ansari Sugar Mills said they would stop operation after crushing loaded cane.

MIRPURKHAS: Five sugar mills of the district suspended crushing of cane on Friday. Office-bearers of the Sindh Abadgar Board Abdul Ghafoor Mahar advocate, Imtiaz Panhwar, Rais Ahmed Khan and Shams Shaikh advocate condemned the closure of sugar mills.

In a joint press statement issued on Friday, they dismissed mill owners' claim that they were suffering huge losses. They said that currently mills were buying cane for Rs43 per maund and added that in case they bought for Rs48 per maund even they would be able to get profit.

They regretted that growers would suffer losses due to closure of sugar mills as weight of cane was decreasing owing to late harvesting. They demanded that the government should take notice of arbitrary decision of the PSMA and ensure immediate re-starting of crushing.