KARACHI - A senior horticulturist and exporter of agro products, Ahmad Jawad has suggested export of sugarcane to help local farmers meet their production expenses and enhance country's foreign earning. According to a statement issued here on Tuesday, he said Pakistan, being one of the major producer of sugarcane in the world, needed a prudent approach to make optimum of the resource for equal benefit of agriculturists as well as national exchequer. Jawad, also a former regional chairman on horticulture exports, Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI), emphasized that commerce ministry need to streamline export of sugarcane export so that farmers be in a better position to have proper returns for their crops. He said farmers can also be supported to export bi-products of sugarcane including gur (jagger), shakkar or brown sugar as these are in great demand abroad. 

"Major portion of locally grown sugarcane is crushed at farm level to produce jagger and brown sugar and this has also assumed a status of an important cottage industry of the country," he said.

Jawad in this context particularly mentioned that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), a traditional gur making zone of the country was not only producing jagger for domestic use but also exports it to other countries.

"Owing to this very fact KP farmers earn 57% more profit through production and sale of jagger as compared to what they get by selling sugarcane to sugar mills," he said.

Jawad regretted that farmers' contribution to sugar industry, the second largest agro based industry in Pakistan comprising 86 sugar mills, was largely ignored.

Appreciating the efforts of agricultural scientists in the country, he suggested that such a mechanism be devised that may reduce the difficulties faced by farmers with limited resources.