Karachi: Production activities are being suffered as growers and millers are locked in a price war despite the announcement of minimum cane price by the Sindh government for crushing season 2013-14.
Minister for Agriculture Ali Nawaz Mehar had fixed the minimum price at Rs180 per 40kgs in a meeting with growers and sugar mills in the second week of November, but no notification was issued due to intervention by the federal government.
To resolve the price dispute, the minister held a meeting with representatives of Pakistan Sugar Mills Association.
Pasma’s regional chairman Aslam Farouqi urged the minister to revise the minimum price and fix it at Rs172 per 40kgs which prevailed during the last year crushing season.
Out of the 35 mills, 22 have started crushing while the remaining would start production by the end of the week bringing the season in full bloom.
Secretary General of Sindh Chamber of Agriculture Nabi Bukhsh complained that the mills were not following the official price and were buying cane at last year’s rate. Sindh Abadgar Board and Sindh Chamber held a meeting with the minister for agriculture in Karachi this week and urged him to force millers to implement the minimum cane price.
There are 35 sugar mills in the province of which two mills, Najma and Larh sugar mills, are out of production since last year.
