Sugarcane growers in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have warned that they will stage protest outside provincial assembly building in Peshawar and block main Indus highway on November 29, if the crushing season was not start forthwith in the province.
Speaking a news conference at Peshawar Press Club here, the Kissan Board Khyber Pakhtunkhwa president Rizwanullah Khan said that crushing season is normally started from October 15 under the relevant sugarcane Act, which was amended to extend the crushing time to November 1. But, he said the ongoing talks between government and millers has further delaying the crushing season, which is an attempt to start the process by December. However, he feared that the cold response of millers to start the process will waste cultivation time of wheat crop in the province. So, he demanded fixation of per 40kg price of sugarcane at Rs 250 and commencement of crushing season without delay. Flanked by Kissan Board provincial senior vice president, Haji Abdul Akbar Khan, general secretary Abdul Samad, former provincial minister Hafiz Hashmat Khan, Arbab Jamil, and others, Rizwan said that most of the problems being faced by the farmers were due to absence of agricultural policy in province.
Rizwan said that the price of sugarcane was fixed at Rs 180 per 40kg during the last season, which was insufficient to meet the increasing cost of production and others expenses. He also said that the government announced the support price of sugarcane was not implemented with letter and spirit in the province. He informed the millers in DI Khan procured the sugarcane at price of Rs 140 and Rs 150 per mound from the growers, which were yet not payout arrears to growers. He said millers were exploited the poor farmers due lack of any agriculture policy. Similarly, he said the government fixed price was not implemented in Mardan and parts of the province. He claimed the cost of sugarcane production remained up to Rs 220 per 40kg during last year, due to which the farmers had to face a loss of Rs 57 per 40kg.
He suggested fixation of uniform commission for gur, which could be acceptable to growers. He said that the gur commission agents should be bound to avoid imposing additional charges against the fixed commission. Rizwan said that sugarcane was a cash crop of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and being cultivated on around 293,450 acres in different districts, including Peshawar, Mardan, Charsadda and Nowshera.
Comments
Comments are closed.