Islamabad, Pakistan: Sugar mills from Pakistan are facing a shortage of raw material and likely to close soon, said the Pakistan Sugar Mills Association (PSMA).
The PSMA issued a letter titled “Non-Availability of Sugarcane aimed at High Prices Demanded by Farmers” written to the Minister of Industries and Production, Hammad Azhar stated that the farmers are manipulating the situation by holding sugarcane supplies. The letter has been forwarded to the Minister for National Food Security Syed Fakhar Imam.
The industry body said that the sugar mills commenced operations as per the orders issued by the provincial governments but are facing problems due to the shortage of cane.
“The farmers are demanding a higher sugarcane price than the fixed price of Rs 200 per 40 kg by the provincial governments. The mills can’t pay the amount to the farmers and may be forced to shut down in a week,” said PSMA.
The PSMA asked the Industries Minister Azhar to intervene and resolve the issue so that the mills continue crushing regularly.
