All 28 sugar mills of Sindh have conveyed to the government their willingness to commence sugarcane crushing from Monday, but only 13 out of 39 mills in Punjab have so far confirmed to start their operation. According to sources in the Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Livestock (Minfal), the government has not received any report from NWFP, as November 1 was the deadline for commissioning of cane crushing.
Sources said reports received from the provincial cane commissioners suggested remaining 26 mills in Punjab remained stick to their old stance and attached pre-conditions for starting their operation.
These sugar mills, according to sources, had conveyed to the government they would wait till the outcome of recommendations of a proposed committee to resolve the 'controversy' over the issue.
The government and Pakistan Sugar Mills Association (PSMA) on October 22 agreed for the constitution of a committee to remove differences over the commissioning of crushing in Punjab from November 1.
While mills in Sindh, which were asked by the government to start operation from October 20, could only manage to fire their boilers till the deadline and failed to start purchasing sugarcane.
The proposed committee, which was also supposed to submit its recommendations on linking cane price with sugar price before October 31, is still far from holding its maiden meeting.
Sources said the government was seriously thinking of taking stern action against the mills under Sugarcane Act of 1950, if they failed to start operation from the given date.
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