LAHORE: The Sugarcane Control Board Punjab has reportedly pitched the Minimum Purchase Price (MPP) for the sugarcane at Rs 225 per maund for the crushing season 2021-22.
The Sugarcane Control Board, which has recently been reconstituted by the provincial food department, held its maiden meeting here on Saturday to deliberate on the proposed support price of the sugarcane and other aspects of the coming crushing season.
Board's Chairman and Cane Commissioner Punjab Muhammad Zaman Wattoo presided over the meeting while Director General Agriculture (Extension) Dr Muhammad Anjum Ali and representative of the mines and mineral development department attended the meeting. Majority of the sugarcane growers nominated as members of the Board attended the meeting while sugar millers boycotted the session.
Sources said cost calculation committee of the provincial agriculture department claimed that input cost of the current sugarcane crop remained around Rs 180 per maund, thus to give a fair return to the growers, support price should be fixed at Rs 225 per maund.
Sources said that the proposal would be sent to the government for further deliberation and then announced by the cabinet. When asked that some farmers' organization have protested on ignoring them while reconstituting the board, they said that food department asked for nominations from the Deputy Commissioners of the districts where sugar millers exist.
Regarding boycott by millers, sources said that millers had least interest in such deliberations as they would fix the rates of their produce according to the sugarcane price. They said meeting was held after meeting the requisite quorum.
Meanwhile, Kissan Board Pakistan (KBP), held a protest demonstration in front of the office of the Punjab Agriculture Department (PAD) against ignoring the representatives of growers' organization in the sugarcane control board. Addressing on this occasion, KBP President Shaukat Chaddhar demanded for fixing the sugarcane support price at Rs 300 per maund; recovery of arrears of growers from the sugar millers; crushing season should be started from November 01, 2021; fixing the kinnow rate at Rs 1500 per maund; announcement of support price of different crops before their sowing; subsidy should be given on electricity for agricultural purposes; issuing interest free loans to growers and making sugar mills bound to pay to growers within one week of buying cane.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2021