Costly inputs create problems for sugarcane growers

Cultivation of sugarcane has become a quandary for sugarcane growers owing to costly inputs especially loadshedding, rising petroleum prices and pesticides and fertilisers.

According to a survey conducted in one of sugarcane growing areas, the growers complain that they invest much to cultivate this crop but in return they gain nothing.

Ghulam Ali, a farmer from Sahiwal said irrigation water was not enough to cultivate and grow crops like sugarcane. "Growers have to depend on diesel for irrigation of sugarcane crop which is going beyond their reach owing to escalating prices".

Ch Farooq, also a sugarcane grower said, however, the government had subsidised electricity for tube-wells, but farmers were unable to take advantage of this facility fully because of long spells of loadshedding.

He said other expenses of sugarcane cultivation including preparation of agricultural field, fertilisers and pesticides were more than any other crops but the sugarcane prices are very low. Rising prices of petroleum products, loadshedding and low purchasing rate of sugar mills have created a lot of problems for the growers.

Another farmer, Ahmed Yar informed that sugarcane growers had to bear many losses during cultivation. Sugar mills start crushing season almost late in every season which delay the cultivation of wheat crop.

Sugar mills do not make timely payments of the crop making sugarcane growers unable to cultivate wheat crop on time while the sugar mills also do not weigh the crop properly.