20000119

Agri Price Commission

body on sugarcane

discusses issues

RECORDER REPORT

HYDERABAD: A high-level annual meeting of the Agricultural Prices Commission Standing Committee on Sugarcane at Pakistan level was held at the committee room of the Cane Commissioner office here on Monday to discuss the issues relating to the production, marketing and prices of sugarcane with a view to formulating price proposals for the 2000-20001 crop.

The meeting which was presided over by the Chairman of Agricultural Price Commission, Islamabad, Syed Shahid Hussain Shah, was attended by Punjab Cane Commissioner Imtiaz Tajwar, Sindh Cane Commisioner Mohammad Siddiqe Memon, Pakistan Cane Commissioner Inayatullah Khan, representatives from all agricultural universities and agricultural research institutes, growers organisations, sugar mill-owners association and other concerned officers.

In view of the abrupt increase in the prices of agricultural inputs, Sindh Chamber of Agriculture representatives Akhund Ghulam Mohammad, Mohammad Khan Sarejo and representative of Sindh abadgar board, Maj Umar Farooque (Retd) and growers from other provinces demanded that the minimum price for sugarcane should be fixed at Rs 45 per 40 kg.

Sarejo pointed out that instead of the current rate of Rs 37 per 40 kg, the mill-owners were paying Rs 49 to Rs 50 per 40 kg to the middle man to encourage this system.

Akhund Ghulam Mohammad complained that millions of rupees collected by the authorities as sugar cess fund was being misused. He demanded that this huge amount should be utilised for research and the development of sugarcane crop.

He also proposed that sugar cess fund should be placed under the control of the cane commissioners and added that new varieties of sugarcane should be evolved.

A sugarcane grower from Jhang, Mohammad Naseem sugessted that the quality of crop should be improved and the prices should be fixed according to the ratio of sugar recovery.

The growers demanded that their outstanding dues with the mark-up should be paid without delay and the flat rate for electricity consumption for the farming community should be introduced.

In defence of the sugar mill-owners, the General Secretary, Pakistan Sugar Mills Association, Sindh Zone, Umer Lateef, claimed that in de-zoning and free market economy. It was difficult for the mill-owners to go by the wishes of the growers.

In his opinion the payment of quality premium was unwarranted. He claimed that the quality of sugarcane had deteriorated.

Agricultural Price Commission Chairman Syed Shahid Hussain Shah said that no policy could be framed which would harm the interests of growers but added that the sugar industry also could not be discouraged as it was playing a vital role in the development of rural economy and providing employment to the people at large scale.

He said that the recommendations of the growers and the sugar mill-owners had been brought on record and the same will be submitted to the Economic Co-ordination Committee for final decision.

He also said that a meeting would be held on January 27 to discuss amendments in the Sugar Factory Control Act, 1950 which could be acceptable to both the growers and the mill-owners.

Shah said that the matter regarding the start of crushing season would be decided later on with the consensus of the growers and the mill-owners.