Staff Report
ISLAMABAD, March 6: Liaquat Ali Jatoi, the federal minister for industries and production, Friday constituted a 12-member committee to suggest long term policy measures to resolve problems of the sugar industry and the growers on permanent basis.

The committee was constituted in a meeting on sugar industry situation chaired by Mr Jatoi. The meeting decided that the committee would submit its recommendations to the ministry by end of this month, said an official statement issued here Friday.

Mr Jatoi said problems of the millers and growers exist since long and the decisions were taken only on ad-hoc basis. The government would eliminate the culture of ad-hocism and wants to formulate a long-term policy, he added.

The minister said all the issues related to sugar industry can be resolved through joint recommendations from the millers, growers and the government. He said recommendations of the committee would be submitted to the ECC and the federal cabinet for approval.

Mr Jatoi also asked the millers, provincial agriculture departments, and the cane commissioners to resolve the problems of the growers particularly payment to the growers and deduction of per kg sucrose on cane variety.

The committee would also suggest short and medium term measures to resolve the current issues of the growers and the millers. The meeting took serious note of the role of middleman between the growers and the millers, which is causing huge financial loss to the growers and the government, and have agreed to eliminate the role of middlemen.

Earlier, the meeting reviewed the progress of crushing, sugar production, price of sugar in the market, procurement of sugar by Trading Corporation of Pakistan (TCP) and payment of dues to cane growers.

The meeting was informed that the total estimated sugarcane cultivated area during the current season was 1,050,000 hectares and the mills have produced over 2.2 million tons sugar in February and total production expected more than four million tons by end of crushing season. The cane crushed till February 15, was 27.05 million tons and the estimated sugarcane crop production is 52.6 million tons while estimated sugarcane to be crushed during the season is 42.3 million tons.

The cane commissioner, Sindh and the provincial secretary informed that mills cleared arrears of Rs 980 million that were owed to growers. The matter of payment of premium is in the Supreme Court. The meeting noted with satisfaction that sugar mills of Punjab have paid entire amount of arrears to the growers.

Iskandar M Khan, chairman Pakistan Sugar Mills Association, briefed the meeting on the current sugar industry situation, carryover stocks and production estimates. The president of Kissan Board, Punjab and Cane Growers Association, Sindh also apprised the meeting on their problems and their solutions.

The 12-member committee would comprise of secretaries of industries and production, commerce, agriculture, Dr Ashfaq Hassan Khan, economic adviser of ministry of finance, provincial agriculture secretaries of Sindh, Punjab and NWFP, chairman Pakistan Sugar Mills Association (PSMA), chairman sugar mills association Punjab Zone, chairman sugar mills association Sindh Zone, president Kissan Board, Punjab and the president of Sindh Cane Growers Association.

The meeting was attended by provincial food and agriculture minister, Sindh, Arif Jatoi, federal secretaries of industries and production, commerce, agriculture, Economic Adviser, Dr Ashfaq Hasan Khan, cane commissioners of Sindh, Punjab, NWFP, provincial agriculture secretaries of Sindh, Punjab and NWFP, chairmen of Sindh and Punjab Zone Sugar Mills Association, President of Kissan Board, Punjab and Sindh Cane Growers Association.

Daily Times