Farmers seek Rs 650 sugarcane price, give government 10 days to act
- Growers demand support prices of Rs650 per maund for sugarcane and Rs 4,500 per maund for wheat.
- Farmer groups warn of a march towards Islamabad unless sugarcane crushing begins within 10 days.
- Leaders highlight unpaid dues, water shortages and rising fertiliser and diesel costs.
Leaders of the Sindh Abadgar Ittehad and Kisan Ittehad have given the government 10 days to announce crop support prices and begin sugarcane crushing, warning that farmers will march towards Islamabad if their demands remain unmet.
Speaking at a joint press conference at the Karachi Press Club on Wednesday, the groups demanded a sugarcane support price of Rs650 per maund and a wheat support price of Rs4,500 per maund.
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Kisan Ittehad President Khalid Hussain Batth said the government had neither notified the sugarcane price nor announced when crushing would begin, leaving growers uncertain about selling their crop.
The farmer leaders alleged that sugar mill owners used similar tactics at the start of each crushing season to deny growers a fair return. They said a protest would be held in Islamabad if crushing did not start within the deadline and their demands were not accepted.
Sindh Abadgar Ittehad President Nawab Zubair Talpur said crushing should have started on November 1, but mills had yet to begin operations. He called on the government to direct mill owners to start immediately and ensure fair payments to farmers.
Talpur also said growers were still awaiting payments for sugarcane already supplied. He accused the Sindh and Punjab governments of failing to give sufficient attention to farmers’ problems.
Questioning the government’s sugar trade decisions, he said farmers had never been consulted on exports. He asked why sugar was not being exported when, according to him, the country held around one million tonnes of surplus stocks.
Batth criticised the authorities over rising wheat and flour prices, saying people were being forced to pay Rs190 per kilogram for flour despite Pakistan being an agricultural country. He said the absence of an effective agricultural policy was hurting growers while consumers continued to face inflation.
He claimed a third shipment of imported wheat had arrived despite concerns about its quality, but prices had still not fallen. He urged the government to prioritise farmers’ concerns and begin sugarcane crushing without further delay.
The leaders also highlighted mounting production pressures. Talpur said water shortages were severely damaging crops, particularly in areas at the tail end of the irrigation system where supplies were not reaching farms.
Higher prices of DAP fertiliser and diesel were adding to production costs and making farming increasingly difficult, he added.
Members of both organisations also protested outside the Karachi Press Club. Their leaders said they would announce their next course of action on Thursday evening.
