Sugarcane crop: Farmers demand better prices

Say govt should fix sugarcane rate at Rs250 per 40kg.


Shamsul Islam December 14, 2013
Say govt should fix sugarcane rate at Rs250 per 40kg. PHOTO: FILE

FAISALABAD:


Dozens of farmers on Friday staged a protest demonstration in Faisalabad against the government for fixing what they called an unreasonably low price for sugarcane.   


Muhammad Naveed, a Farmers’ Association office bearer, told The Express Tribune that the government had fixed the sugarcane rate at Rs170 for 40 kilogram (kg).

“Growers have to purchase fertilisers, pesticides and sprays at high prices…the Government has no check in place for the prices at which dealers sell fertilisers and pesticides,” he said.

Naveed said, “The mill owners exploit the farmers by buying their produce at very low prices… the government is not doing anything about this.”



He said firewood was selling at Rs400-450 (per 40 kg) in the market but sugarcane is being purchased at Rs170 per 40 kg. “This is unfair,” he said.

He said the government should fix the rate of sugarcane at Rs250 per 40kg.

“Otherwise, the farmers will stop growing sugarcane,” he added.

Protest against closure of CNG

CNG station owners and rickshaw drivers on Friday staged a protest demonstration at the Zila Council Chowk against gas suspension in Faisalabad.

The protestors also staged a sit-in in front of district government secretariat and blocked the University Road.

CNG Association Regional Chairman Chaudhary Waheed said the government had encouraged investment in the CNG sector. “After we invested billions of rupees and installed expensive machinery the Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) started load shedding…now it has completely suspended gas supply,” he said.

He said there should be equal load shedding for CNG stations, industry and domestic consumers.

Mian Zafar Iqbal, a CNG Rickshaw Association office bearer, said the rickshaw owners had converted to CNG by taking loans… now the government is forcing us to convert back,” he said.

The protestors chanted slogans and demanded that the government immediately restore CNG supply. “Otherwise, we will extend the protests to the entire country,” he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 14th, 2013.

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