Farmers give government 10-Day deadline to start sugarcane crushing

KARACHI (Staff Report): Kissan Ittehad and Sindh Abadgar Ittehad have given the government a 10-day ultimatum to announce the official sugarcane support price and ensure the immediate start of the crushing season, warning that farmers would march towards Islamabad if their demands remain unmet.

Addressing a joint press conference at the Karachi Press Club on Wednesday, Kissan Ittehad President Khalid Hussain Baath said the government had neither issued a notification fixing the sugarcane price nor announced a date for the commencement of the crushing season, creating widespread uncertainty among growers.

He alleged that the imported wheat was substandard and accused the Trading Corporation of Pakistan (TCP) of corruption in wheat procurement.

Sindh Abadgar Ittehad President Nawab Zubair Talpur demanded that the government fix the sugarcane price at Rs650 per maund and immediately direct sugar mill owners to start crushing operations.

The two farmers’ organizations have also established a joint protest camp outside the Karachi Press Club, where growers are continuing their demonstration against the government’s delay in announcing the sugarcane price and crushing schedule.

The farmers’ leaders said they would announce their future course of action on Thursday evening, including plans for a major gathering along the Sindh-Punjab border and a possible march towards Islamabad if the government fails to accept their demands within the stipulated 10 days.