LAHORE  -  Anjuman-e-Kaashtkaran Punjab Chairman Rana Iftikhar Muhammad has said that almost two months are left in the start of the new crushing season but payments of some farmers are still owed to the mills which will only be possible if the federal government allows export of entire surplus sugar. If the export is not allowed, the farmers will come out on the roads, he warned. He expressed these views in a meeting with the chairman of Pakistan Sugar Mills Association (Punjab Zone).

He said that non-payment of cane dues to farmers is a major concern. Farmers are the backbone of the country’s economy. Farmers have been hit hard in all crops and sugarcane is the only crop from which the farmer can make some profit and prosper. The government should have made the export of surplus sugar on a priority basis, but sadly, the next crushing season is barely two months away and the warehouses of the mills are still full of sugar. Farmers estimate that due to the good sugarcane crop next year, about 1.5 million tonnes of surplus sugar will be made. PSMA-PZ Chairman appreciated Rana Iftikhar’s efforts for the farmers. He said that the sugar industry also gives importance to the problems of farmers. He said that the government has delayed the export of sugar and after exporting only 0.1 million tons of sugar, the export has stopped completely. The next crushing season is getting tougher to start. Chairman Anjuman-e-Kaashtkaran said that farmers and the sugar industry stand side-by-side. He also reiterated to work together with the industry. He said in case the surplus sugar is not successfully exported then farmers will protest on the roads.