Kisan Board Pakistan (KBP) urged the government to fix sugar cane minimum procurement price at Rs 230 per maund in line with the increase in the prices of agricultural inputs registered during the year 2013 compared to year 2012. KBP Chief Sardar Zafar Hussein Khan after an emergency meeting of the Board here on Friday while talking to media persons said different agricultural inputs registered increase of 40 percent to 140 percent in the current year as compared to 2012. He said it has increased the expenses incurred on various crops manifold for the growers.
He warned if the minimum procurement price of sugar cane is not fixed at Rs 230 per maund then growers will make ‘gur’ or fodder from their sugar cane crop which would be more profitable for them. He warned that in such a case sugar millers would also struggle to buy even a kilogram of sugar cane. KBP Chief also urged the government to give representation in cane board meetings to true representatives of the growers and fixed the support price after consultation of real growers and their representatives. He said sugar cane board should protect the rights of the growers instead of millers and traders.
He also urged the government should immediately ensure payments to growers due against the mills of last crops. Cheques should be made compulsory against sale of sugar cane instead of Cane Procurement Receipt (CPR), true growers organisations should be included in teams to check the weighing bridges and sugar mills should be asked to run the mills at the earliest under the sugar cane act. Sardar Zafar stated if the mills are not run immediately then there would be dearth of land available for next wheat crop which might lead the country to a famine like situation.
