Lahore : Nov 6 : Pakistan ‘s farmers’ representative bodies have rejected the caretakers plan to revise downward the support price of sugarcane for the current crushing season and warned that any attempt on their part to side with the sugar industry at the cost of the growers will be resisted with tooth and nail.
The farmers organisations including Sindh Abadkar Ittehad , Kissan Ittehad Registered (Bath Group), Anjumn e Tajran All Pakistan Kissan (Anwar Group) have issued a joint statement calling upon the caretaker federal government not to exceed from its constitutional mandate and revise down sugarcane support price for crushing season 2023-24.
The growers representative bodies reminded of the federal caretaker government that it has no legal, moral and constitutional authority to undo a decision taken by an elected government of Pakistan .
The Sindh government of Syed Murad Ali Shah had announced Rs 425 support price per 40 kg for the current crushing season and the Punjab also followed the Sindh government ‘s decision to fix Rs 425 per maund (40 kg ) for this crushing season .
However , the caretaker government of prime minister , Anwaarul Haq Kakar, has been pressurising the Sindh government to revise downward already announced support price of sugarcane for the current crushing season .
The farmers have serious concerns over a possible intervention of the caretaker federal government for pushing the caretaker government of Sindh for reversing a decision of an elected government . They argue that any reduction in sugarcane support price will cause loss of billions of rupee to the growers who are already facing hard times due to rising input cost of the sugarcane and other crops.
Talking to NEWSMAN from Khanpur by phone, Sardar Yaqub Sindhu said on Monday the farmers will not accept any caretakers decision to revise downward sugarcane support price . He said since the support price of Rs 425 per maund 40 kg was announced by the elected government , the caretakers have no authority morally and constitutionally to undo this decision. Sardar Yaqub Sindhu added that the growers are key to make Pakistan food self -sufficient and they warn the federal caretaker government to refrain from damaging their farming community to appease the sugar industry. Mr Sindhu demanded that after fixing sugarcane price at Rs 425 per 40 kg, the provinces should also fix the rates of sugar proportionately . He said the sugar industrialists exploited market last year to make hundreds of billions through high prices. It may be noted that the government had fixed Rs 90 per kg last year , but it was sold at Rs 160 plus in the open market.
