Labour complaints: Sugar cane mills fail to pay growers

HYDERABAD: The Sindh cane commissioner has gone to the court after two more sugar mills failed to respond to his notices, inquiring about the delay in payment to the growers. The government has fixed a rate of Rs154 per 40 kilogrammes which is supposed to be paid to the growers. The farmers of Tando Muhammad Khan district have been protesting for over a month. Nabi Bux Sathio of the Sindh Chamber of Agriculture alleged that the official rate is not paid even for the good quality cane. “If there is any truth to the matter, the mills should have submitted a reply to the commissioner’s notice, explaining why they are purchasing inferior quality and banned variety.” A plea was filed by Tariq Ahmed Memon, the commissioner who issued notices last month to Fauji Sugar Mills and Seri Sugar Mills.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 10^th, 2012.