Farmers showing anxiety over the closure of sugar mills in the Punjab province have appealed the Chief Minister Punjab to intervene and calculate the cost of production of sugar being produced by millers and let the sugar price be determined by market forces so as to avoid damage to farming community.
The demand was raised in a meeting of the Pakistan Kissan Movement which was chaired by its President Hanif Gujjar here on Thursday. Farmers from Central Punjab districts of Sargodha, Khushab, Jhang, Faisalabad, Gujranwala and Muzaffargarh attended the meeting along with office bearer of Pakistan Kissan Movement.
Farmers showed anxiety over the closure of sugar mills and said that we are giving sugarcane to mills at government's announced rate of Rs190 per maund but some black sheep in the market who are greedy in nature are interested to supply sugarcane to mills at Rs230 to Rs240 per maund.
Farmers appreciated the efforts of Chief Minister Punjab and said that increase in sugarcane price from Rs180 to Rs190 is a big jump in the raw material price which will give benefit to farmers. They said if you start asking above that price then there is no limit because skies have no limits.
Hanif Gujjar while commenting on recent news reports in which, it was said that the cost of production of sugar has gone to Rs80 to Rs82 per kg keeping in view sugarcane price of Rs190 per maund.
Hanif Gujjar said to farmers if you demand Rs230 to Rs240 per maund price of sugarcane then you can imagine the cost of production of sugar. He said we do not want to create sugar and sugarcane crisis in Punjab. We want that there should be a level playing field for all stakeholders including sugarcane growers, consumers and sugar manufacturers.
He said while commenting on a news story that Government intends to maintain sugar rates at Rs70/-, if cost of production of sugar comes to Rs80 to Rs82 per kg and if you will force the mills to sell sugar at Rs.70 per kg then mills will go bankrupt. Hanif Gujjar said we do not want the mills to go bankrupt rather they should survive which will benefit farmers, as the sugar mills are the market place to sell sugarcane.
Hanif Gujjar appealed to the CM Punjab to intervene and calculate the cost of production of sugar being produced by millers and let the sugar price be determined by market forces and government should not disturb this mechanism so as to avoid damage to farming community.
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