LAHORE: The Cane Commissioner Punjab has directed the district administration of the province to initiate a crackdown against middlemen/illegal purchase centres for stopping off-the-book sugarcane purchase and depriving the growers of due return of their produce.
Cane Commissioner Punjab Muhammad Zaman Wattoo has also requested all deputy commissioners, who hold the portfolio of additional cane commissioners, to submit a report to his office about the action taken against the offenders daily.
Zaman Wattoo while talking to the Business Recorder here on Thursday said that there have been complaints of purchase of sugarcane by the middlemen. The purchase of sugarcane by middlemen without license is violation of Section 17 of the Punjab Sugar Factories (Control) Act 1950, the penalty of which is provided under section 21 of the Act. He said that after amendments, offenses under the said Act are now cognizable and non-bailable.
He said that he had requested the district administration to take action against the middlemen for illegal purchase of sugarcane, while at the same time it should also be ensured that the sugar mills do not purchase sugarcane off-the-book. He further said that the administrations have been asked to ensure that the Cane Purchase Receipts (CPRs) are issued to the farmers at the sugar purchase centres established by the sugar mills.
Meanwhile, the Pakistan Sugar Mills Association has criticized the Cane Commissioner Punjab for not taking action against the middlemen mafia rather he supported it due to which the sugarcane prices have gone exorbitantly high whereas he has fixed Rs.200 per 40 kg sugarcane price which have reached around Rs.300 across Punjab.
A PSMA spokesman in a separate statement said that the Association had been apprising the Cane Commissioner Punjab time and again to take action against this mafia but he did not pay any attention towards this issue.
Now we request the Cane Commissioner Punjab through media to ensure the availability of sugarcane at Rs.200/- per 40 kg, the price which was fixed through his office. Once the price of sugarcane is controlled, the sugar prices will also start to come down.
The PSMA spokesman the issue of high sugar prices has has erupted due to non-cooperative attitude of the cane commissioner who kept quiet when the sugarcane rates were rising. The spokesman said that they want to support the government and help them to keep the prices at affordable level for the common man.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2021
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