The Pakistan Sugar Mills Association (PSMA) has directed all its member mills to immediately start issuing cane procurement permits to save sugarcane growers from hardships. The PSMA representatives claimed this in a meeting with the Secretary Food Punjab on Tuesday. The millers also assured that the mills will also exchange numbers of permits issued to the growers with the district administration of the respective areas. The PSMA representatives claimed that mills were closed because of the weather and unavailability of sugarcane. They said that situation will significantly be improved till January 10, 2020, after restoration of sugarcane supply to the sugar mills.
Meanwhile, a meeting of the cabinet committee on sugar sector, which discussed matters related to cane crushing and demand & supply of sugar, was also held the other day with Punjab Minister for Food Sami Ullah Chaudhry. Secretary Food Waqas Ali Mehmood, Cane Commissioner Punjab Wajid Ali Shah, representatives of agriculture department and special branch along with Chairman Pakistan Sugar Mills Association (Punjab Zone) Nauman Ahmed Khan and members of the association were present on this occasion.
Addressing the meeting, the food minister said the Punjab government is taking measures for safeguarding the interests of sugarcane growers and sugar mill owners. He gave proposal for fixing the price of sugar by the consultation of Pakistan Sugar Mills Association, federal government and third party.
It was ensured in the meeting that the association will not support those sugar mills which have closed their crushing but it will play its positive role for solving this problem (that the closed mills should start crushing process, opening the gates and issuing the permit), immediately. The members of the association fully realized that the future of sugar mills and the cane growers is linked with each other. There are some other reasons of closing the mills which include non-availability of cane, weather condition and other restraints. The mills could not be functional till the continuous supply of sugarcane.
The PASMA demanded that the whole meeting of cabinet committee should be called for strengthening and stability of economy related to sugarcane in which the food department and minister food would play their positive role for resolving the issues. Earlier, the secretary food gave detailed briefing about start of crushing season, momentum, functional and non-functional of sugar mills.
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