Kisan Board of Pakistan (KBP) has urged those sugar mill owners who are part of any federal or provincial governments to immediately start crushing season to provide sugar to the consumers at low prices and to prove their sincerity with the masses.
KBP leaders alleged that area under cultivation of sugar cane was decreased by 25 percent during the last season due to the attitude of the sugar millers and there is an apprehension of reduction of 30 percent in area under wheat cultivation this season, if they do not lift sugar cane immediately.
Central President KBP Sardar Zafar Hussein and General Secretary Malik Muhammad Ramzan Rohari while commenting upon skyrocketing prices of sugar have alleged that the millers were trying to deprive consumers from their hard-earned money after sugar cane growers. They said that the Chief Minister Punjab was holding the federal government responsible for sugar price hike as it did not import sugar in time, while the central government was putting the blame on Punjab by saying that it was the duty of the provincial government to control the prices. 'In fact artificial sugar crisis is a plan hatched by the ruling sugar millers to increase the prices unjustifiably and mint profits,' they alleged.
Farmer leaders said this crisis could be controlled immediately provided sugar mills start crushing. This would ensure supply of fresh sugar to the market and decrease in the prices. They said that delay in the crushing season was also causing a problem for the growers whose sugar cane was getting destroyed in the fields. They said it seemed that all the sugar millers in Punjab had joined hands, as mills were operative in Sindh. If they start crushing today, then there would be no need to import sugar, while it would also resolve the issues being faced by the growers. They said if the federal and provincial governments were really sincere with the masses then they should ask their member millers to immediately start crushing season to lift billion of rupees sugar cane lying in the fields and to provide cheaper sugar to the consumers.
KBP leaders urged the judiciary to investigate in to the sugar crisis and role of sugar millers in this whole episode. They also warned the sugar millers that if they did not shun their habit of looting the consumers and growers, then the Board would lodge protest against them to safeguard the interests of the growers.