STAFF REPORTER
LAHORE: Punjab Minister for Food Samiullah Chaudhry on Monday said that the Punjab government was taking measures for safeguarding the interests of sugarcane growers and sugar mill owners.
He said this while presiding over a meeting of the cabinet committee on sugar sector in which matters related to cane crushing and demand & supply of sugar were reviewed. Food Secretary Waqas Ali Mehmood, Punjab Cane Commissioner Wajid Ali Shah, representatives of Agriculture Department and Special Branch along with Pakistan Sugar Mills Association (Punjab Zone) Chairman Nauman Ahmed Khan and members of the association were present on this occasion.
The minister 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 would 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. PASMA demanded that the whole meeting of cabinet committee should be called for the strengthening and stability of economy-related to sugarcane in which food department and Minister Food would play their positive role for resolving the issues.
