Lahore: Farmers in Pakistan’s Punjab have rejected the government’s announced support price of Rs 400 per maund for sugarcane for the 2023-24 crushing season, reported Brecorder.
They are demanding a price of Rs 500 per maund, citing rising agricultural input costs such as fertilizer, electricity, diesel, pesticides, and labor charges.
The demand was articulated by Kissan Board Pakistan (KBP) President, Sardar Zafar Hussain, during a meeting with a delegation of sugarcane growers from the Pattoki areas on Thursday. The delegation included individuals like Chaudhry Abdul Nasir Kamboh, Haji Muhammad Ramzan, Rana Khalid Masood Khan, and others.
Expressing the challenges faced by the farming community, KBP President Sardar Zafar Hussain emphasized the impracticality of selling sugarcane at the government-announced price due to the rising input costs. He urged the government to compel sugar mills to commence crushing on November 25, highlighting that a delay in the start of the crushing season could impact wheat sowing, with fields occupied by standing sugarcane crops.
Sardar Zafar Hussain underscored that, owing to the perceived flawed policies of the rulers, agriculture has nearly become nonviable, with the prices of essential agricultural inputs such as electricity, fertilizers, pesticides, and oil soaring. He issued a warning that unless the government promptly addresses their demands, farmers across the country will stage protests.
