LAHORE-The Punjab government is contemplating to increase sugarcane support price for the upcoming crushing season to facilitate the growers and to help them meet the increasing input cost. Sources privy to the development said that a meeting of the Punjab Sugarcane Board is scheduled to be held on October 5, which will discuss the proposal and develop some consensus on the subject among the stakeholders. Sources further said that at present sugarcane price in Punjab is set at Rs 190 per maund but the growers have reservations and demanded a considerable increase. They said that according to the rules, sugarcane board comprising representative of every sugar mill, growers and relevant officers will discuss such a proposal. Meanwhile, the Cane Commissioner Punjab office continued lodging FIRs against the mills defaulting in payment to growers. On Monday, an FIR was launched against Abdullah-I Sugar Mills Limited situated in Depalpur (district Okara) under the Punjab Sugar Factories (Control) ACT, 1950 (amended). The FIR says that the mill had not cleared full dues against it after purchasing cane from the growers amounting to Rs 202,919,800 and Rs 88,027,102 as per SCR-II report provided by mill for the crushing season 2018-19 & 2019-20 despite the closing of the crushing on 06-03-2019 & 16.02.2020 respectively.