Pakistan Kissan Movement President Chaudhry Mohammed Ashfaq said on Tuesday that the farmers were not in a hurry to harvest their sugarcane crop by October, and they would wait until December to ensure maximum benefit against their standing crops.
Reacting to a statement of Provincial Agriculture Minister, Arshad Khan Lodhi regarding start of crushing season by October, Ashfaq said the Punjab government has though announced Rs 60 per maund as support price of sugarcane for the next crushing season but the farmers were still not happy with the support price and they would wait until the sugar millers were ready to pay Rs 100 per maund.
Addressing a gathering of farmers, he said early harvesting of sugarcane crop brings big losses to farmers, as the crop possess more water than sucrose content that ultimately affects the recovery and sugar millers delay payments to the growers.