LARKANA: If the Pakistan Sugar Mills Association (PSMA) people persist in their stubbornness and the sugar mills do not operate till 15th November and do not pay the appropriate rate, then the farmers too will be left with no alternative but to stop cultivating sugarcane and turn to other crops.

This was stated by Sirajul Oliya Rashdi, President, Larkana Chamber of Agriculture (LCA), while talking to the participants who held a meeting here on Sunday to discuss crop cultivation in Sindh. Rashdi said that sugarcane is the only crop in which farmers have to work for 12 to 14 hours a day to earn livelihood, bring labour during its cutting season and leave it at the sugar mill to earn money for supporting his poverty-stricken families.

He said God forbid, if fire occurs or the tractor trolley or a truck is turned turtle then he will again have to invest in labour and reach the mill along with the load so that sugar could be produced for the users. He said that despite all the hard work and investment, he does not even know how and when he will be rewarded for his hard work.

He said that however, the duration of other crops is 4 to 6 months and their price is known before planting. He said that compared to sugarcane, the rates of other crops have improved considerably, therefore, farmers should not cultivate sugarcane and move on to other crops then the mill owners will come to know their worth.

Zulfikar Ali Baloch, secretary general of Hari Abadgar Board, said that firewood is being sold at Rs400 per maund in the market whereas we need jungles, while mill owners are not ready to pay Rs300 per 40 kg to the sugarcane growers. Faqir Atta Muhammad Hub said that farmers should grow more wheat and make their country self-sufficient in this crop by taking advantage of the government scheme and get free wheat seeds. Hussain Bakhsh, Syed Riaz, Anwar Ali, Mour Khan and others participated in the meeting.