Kisan Board Pakistan (KBP) Chief Sardar Zafar Hussein Khan reacting to the announcement of the Punjab government to fix minimum purchase price of sugarcane at Rs 170 per maund has claimed it is not sufficient enough to even recover the input cost of the growers. 'Sugarcane growers have to suffer a loss of Rs 15,000 to 20,000 per acre at the minimum price notified by the Cane Commissioner Punjab,' Zafar said in a statement issued here on Wednesday.
He severely criticised the bureaucracy and said they have no idea of hardships being faced by the growers and it is very easy to estimate while sitting an air-conditioned office but very hard practically to produce a crop. They have no idea of expenses being borne by the growers, Zafar alleged. KBP Chief further alleged that sugar millers had not fully paid the dues of growers against the sugarcane purchased last season.
He appealed to the Chief Minister Punjab to immediately withdraw this notification showing his farmer-friendly attitude. He said a meeting of the growers organisations from across Punjab should be convened, which would also be participated by sugarcane growers and this meeting should fix a rate for sugarcane keeping in view the input cost and per acre yield.