LAHORE: The agricultural landscape in Punjab is set for a significant confrontation as sugar mills have garnered widespread support to defy a provincial government order to begin the sugarcane crushing season from tomorrow (November 15).
This open defiance sets up a direct showdown between the industry and provincial authorities, who have promised strict action and potentially huge fines for non-compliance. The Pakistan Sugar Mills Association (PSMA) leadership has publicly dismissed the order as “wrong” and non-viable for business operations. Ch Zaka Ashraf, central leader of the PSMA, told The News on Thursday that only a handful of mills, “perhaps three or four”, might start crushing by the official date.
The majority, he claimed, cannot adhere to the timeline due to “irreparable loss” caused by recent floods and heavy rains, in addition, he added, complications arising from the global sugar situation due to the “Indian factor also creates an unviable environment”.
The PSMA leader pushed back against government pressure, questioning how mills, after investing billions of rupees, could survive if they are unable to make independent business decisions. He further asserted that there is sufficient sugar stock within the country to last until December 15, suggesting no immediate market risk justifies the government’s strict timeline.
The Punjab government had previously issued a formal directive, mandating that all sugar mill occupiers situated within the province commence crushing operations by November 15. The explicit goal stated by the government is to protect local growers and stabilise market prices.
Now, in anticipation of this widespread resistance, the government is mobilising its enforcement mechanisms to ensure strict adherence to its order. In the latest move, deputy commissioners and additional cane commissioners across various districts have been directed to immediately form special, multi-agency monitoring teams. These teams will be composed of representatives from the district administration, special branch, anti-corruption establishment, DFC office, and industries department.
These joint monitoring teams are mandated to conduct physical visits to all respective sugar mills precisely on the mandatory start date of November 15. Their primary objective is to verify that crushing operations have genuinely commenced as ordered.
The directive from the cane commissioner’s office specifies that any instance of non-compliance found during these inspections must be immediately documented and reported with a detailed account to the office of the Punjab director-general (food)/cane commissioner.
The situation remains highly volatile as the November 15 deadline approaches, with mills prioritising their financial viability amidst agricultural challenges and the government steadfast in its commitment to enforce the crushing schedule.
The special assistant to CM Punjab for price control and commodity management also highlighted the importance of running mills by the prescribed date as the government wanted to promote wheat sowing after the early harvest of sugarcane. She stressed that the sugarcane crop is ready to harvest as it attained desirable sucrose content. Hence, she insisted that there is no reason to delay the sugarcane crushing in the province.
