Sindh Abadgar Board (SAB) has termed the decrease in purchase price of sugarcane by Sindh government anti-Sindh and anti-agriculture. Sindh Abadgar Board has also announced to block National Highway by staging two-day sit-in on Tuesday and Wednesday, with an appeal to growers of Sindh to stop harvest and supply of sugarcane to sugar mills.
This was decided in a meeting of Sindh Abadgar Board which was held here at SAB office which was presided over by Abdul Majid Nizamani president of the Board and attended by Dr Zulfiqar Yousfani, Anwer Bachani, Chairman Farmers Organisation Javed Junejo and others.
After meeting, the President and members of SAB held a press conference at Hyderabad Press Club and said that Sindh contributes 21.6 percent in country's agriculture. Nizamani said there were 37 sugar mills in Sindh and this year 400 million maunds of sugarcane was expected. Sugar mills are working here since 1960 and each year the crushing season starts from October but due to inefficiency of the government and monopoly of sugar mill owners the mills have never started on time.
He said the government had fixed price of sugarcane at Rs 182 per 40 kilogram but backed out its own decision and revised the rate at Rs 155 per 40 kilogram. He said this decision of Sindh government was not only anti-agriculture but also anti-Sindh which cannot be accepted and the growers have already launched a protest movement. He said that SAB would stage dharna across Sindh on all highways and would block National Highway as a mark of protest.