Government Must Immediately Operationalize Sugar Mills Across the Country and Set Sugarcane Price at Rs 700 Per Maund, Demands Pakistan Kissan Ittehad President Khalid Mahmood Khokhar
LAHORE: Worried about the serious problems facing the sugarcane farmers, Kissan Ittehad (PKI) Central President Khalid Mahmood Khokhar has called upon the government to take immediate steps to operationalize the sugar mills and raise the minimum support price (MSP) of sugarcane to Rs 700 per maund.
Khalid Mahmood Khokhar at a Press Conference at Lahore Press Club called for the crushing season to start immediately and all sugar mills in the country should be brought to full production by November 10 to ensure farmers could harvest and clear the land on time.
The Press Conference on the presidency of Pakistan Kissan Ittehad was filled with several important highlights.The President’s Press Conference of Pakistan Kissan Ittehad had multiple highlights.
Rising production cost: The president of the Kissan Ittehad reported the production cost of sugarcane as Rs 550 per maund, which has already gone up. The farmers’ hard work and a reasonable profit of 25 per cent should raise the official support price to at least Rs 700 per maund.
Export of Surplus Sugar: Khokhar demanded that the government immediately allow the export of the already surplus sugar in the country to avoid any delay in settlement of dues and payments to the growers.
In the end, Khalid Mahmood Khokhar warned that failure of the farming community to meet these immediate needs will result in economic hardship and financial ruin if the demands are not met in a timely fashion.