Agriculture is the backbone of Pakistan's economy and sugarcane crop plays a vital role in the shape of cash crop which provides a major share of farmers earnings. It is an important cash crop, which contributes in socio-economic development of Pakistan. Sindh is famously known as Cuba of Pakistan.
The origin of sugarcane crop is East Asia which slowly began to be cultivated in other parts of the world. According to William, sugarcane expert it was cultivated in Ganga Valley of India and it was cultivated before 424 B.C. In the province of Sindh. sugarcane crop cultivation started in 1932 after the construction of Sukkur Barrage.
Meanwhile sugarcane varieties were cultivated from whose juice sugar was produced. In lower Sindh the commercial cultivation of sugarcane was started after construction of Kotri barrage in 1955. At that time in lower Sindh Fauji Sugar Mills, Tando Muhammad Khan was established in 1959-60.
The establishment of Fauji Sugar Mills resulted in revolution in agriculture due to the cultivation of sugarcane and it increased to large levels in Sindh. Habib Sugar Mills Nawabshah was established in 1963-64 looking after the interest of the farming community establishment of sugar mills were speedily worked out which resulted in the establishment of various sugar mills in 1980.
The number of sugar mills reached to 11, then in 2001-2002 the number increased to 31 in Sindh province in 1956-57. The cultivation of sugarcane crop was 1000 hectares from which 607 thousand tons of sugar product was obtained which increased slowly in 1986-87 and reached 83 thousand hectares.
Sugar cane production also increased up to 77.83 lac tons, it was record production of 20th century it was natural that increase in Sugarcane cultivation as well as production during last 20 years a chain of sugar mills was established because production of the sugarcane in Sindh province increased to highest level.
In 1998-99 the cultivation areas of sugarcane crop in Sindh province was 270 thousand hectares but it decreased few years later due e to the shortage of irrigation water as well as low sugarcane prices paid to the sugarcane farmers and lack of experience of sugar mill owners which were issued mill permits to establish sugar mills on political basis.
The commission recommended that a sugar industry must be established in that area the commission also report that future of sugar cane industries in Sindh is very much bright. In 1957 sugar export committee has reported that the future of sugar industry in lower Sindh is bright because of favourable cultivation climate of the area.
According to 1950 act of sugar cane sugar mills are bound to start crushing season from 1st October every year, in this connection Sindh Government has issued a notification to sugar mills owners that they are bound to start sugar cane crushing season from 1st October every year, however sugar mills owner are not following orders of the Sindh government they are also not giving positive response to Sindh government policies. This year government has issued a notification to sugar mills owners that they should start sugarcane crushing season from 15th November 2008.
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