Despite the tall claim of the Punjab Government, all sugar mills, after purchasing cane, have stopped payment to hard hit sugarcane growers without any plausible reason adding miseries to their life.

All sugar mills nearly owes over rupees 100 billion towards innocent sugarcane growers and according the agreed formula, the mill management will pay the all dues to growers definitely within 15 days but unfortunately not even a single farmers could get their dues within stipulated period.

On the other hand, Punjab Food Department, Provincial Cane Commissioner and entire provincial administration miserably failed to address the genuine grievances of the sugarcane growers. District sugarcane purchasing, monitoring and examining committees each headed by respective district co-ordination officer have been set up for on-the-spot prompt redressal of genuine grievances of farmers could also deliver goods.

Cane Commissioner Punjab Ahmad Malik told APP here that under sugarcane act, all DCOs were empowered as Additional Cane Commissioner in their respective districts to address the complaints of farmers related to purchase of sugarcane from them and ensure timely payment besides safeguarding the legitimate interests of the growers.

He said that aggrieved farmers, if any, can directly see the DCOs or send complaints by post and by fax for action or probe into the alleged malpractice.

Meanwhile a sugarcane grower Gulshad Ur Rehman from Pindi Sheikh Musa tehsil Tandlianwala district Faisalabad while talking to APP alleged that the management of Chanar Sugar Mill was extorting rupees 4000 to 5000 per trolley from each farmer failing which the sugarcane is rejected on the pretext of non-variety product. When contacted Cane Commissioner said the complaint had been referred to DCO Faisalabad for probe.