Cane farmers demand Rs475/40kg

Growers and their representative bodies have urged the Sindh government and the agriculture minister to set the sugarcane price at Rs475 per maund (40 kg) for the 2024-2025 season, issuing a notification within two weeks. This would ensure that sugar mill owners fire up their boilers by November 1, allowing crushing to begin by November 15, which would benefit poor sugarcane growers already struggling financially due to the impact of climate change in the province.

"We hope and appeal to Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah and Sindh Minister for Agriculture Sardar Mohammad Bux Khan Mahar to fix the sugarcane price at Rs475 per maund for the 2024-2025 season within two weeks, as recommended by the Agriculture Research Wing of the Sindh Agriculture Department. The wing has conducted a thorough price analysis based on the cost of inputs such as land preparation, market conditions, and other factors. If peasants receive Rs475 per maund, they will be able to make a profit; otherwise, they will suffer losses," said Nabi Bux Sathio, Senior Vice President of the Sindh Chamber of Agriculture and an agriculture analyst, while speaking to The Express Tribune. He added that, "Now it is up to the Sindh government to use its discretionary powers to fulfill its moral and constitutional role promptly, encouraging and supporting farmers."

The Sindh agriculture minister recently convened a meeting of the Sindh Sugarcane Control Board (SSCB) to discuss the sugarcane price, bringing together three stakeholders: the Pakistan Sugar Mills Association (PSMA) Sindh Chapter (millers), the two major growers' bodies –the Sindh Abadgar Board (SAB) and the Sindh Chamber of Agriculture (SCA)– and the Sindh government.

During the meeting, sugar mill owners requested that the Sindh government not fix the rate until the Punjab government announces its rate. Sathio criticised this demand, calling it unfair and illegal. He said it undermines the legal and constitutional authority of the Sindh government, and if the Sindh government fails to

set the price, it would send a weak message, implying that it cannot make decisions independently or safeguard its own farmers' rights. The Sindh government must fix the cane price by October 30, ahead of the November crushing season.

Before the 18th Amendment, it was the prerogative of the Sindh government to set the cane rate and direct millers to implement it under the Sindh Sugar Factories Control Act of 1950. After the 18th Amendment, the entire Sindh Agriculture Department devolved to the province, making it a purely provincial matter. Furthermore, crops in Sindh, including vegetables, fruits, and other major crops, tend to ripen for harvest about a month earlier than in Punjab due to climate differences.

Earlier, on September 1, sugar millers argued that they would not begin crushing before January because the country currently has a surplus of 1.2 million tonnes of sugar in storage. The PSMA claimed that this includes 325,000 tonnes stored by mill owners in Sindh, with the remainder from Punjab.

Pakistan consumes approximately 6.6 million tonnes of sugar annually, with around 550,000 tonnes used each month. Sugar demand typically rises during the winter due to the increased consumption of sweet dishes and the wedding season.

In a recent meeting of the Sugar Advisory Board (SAB), chaired by Federal Minister for Industries and Production Rana Tanveer Hussain, it was agreed that millers with surplus sugar stocks as of November 1 would be allowed to export the excess. The PSMA assured that millers would fire up boilers by November 1 and begin crushing by November 15, with sugarcane procurement starting on that date. Therefore, any plea for delaying exports has been set aside.

Meanwhile, small growers complain that every year, millers adopt delaying tactics to purchase sugarcane, taking full advantage of the higher sucrose levels and lower weight of the cane, which results in significant losses for farmers. Once the winter season begins, water levels drop, increasing sucrose content. During the Rabi season, canal closures ensure that agricultural lands do not receive adequate water, and the drop in water levels reduces the cane's weight by 30% to 40% between November and December. Millers, reluctant to buy cane when it is ripe in November, exploit this situation, reinforcing their monopoly and reaping large profits at the expense of the farmers.