Caretaker CM fixes minimum sugarcane price in Sindh at Rs 425/40 kg

Karachi: Caretaker Sindh Chief Minister Justice (R ) Maqbool Baqar, after thorough discussion and considering the cost of production worked out by the Agriculture Department, has fixed a minimum Sugarcane price at Rs425 per 40 kg for crop 2023-24.

The meeting was held here at CM House on Monday and was attended by Chief Secretary Dr Fakhre Alam, Advocate General Sindh Hassan Akbar, Secretary Finance Kazim Jatoi, Secretary Agriculture Aijaz Shah, Secretary Food Nasir Abbas and other concerned officers.

Secretary Agriculture Aijaz Shah briefed the chief minister about the cost of sugarcane cultivation and said that per acre cost has been worked out at Rs 244,984, and the average yield of an acre is 650 40 kg means Rs 377 per 40kg. If 12.7 percent profit over the total expenditures is added the price would come to Rs 425.

Chief Secretary D Fakhre Alam said that he has also chaired a meeting of the agriculture department and the minimum price was worked out at Rs 425 and if the profit of 15% as demanded by the agriculturists were added the price would go to Rs 434 per 40 kg.

The chief minister approved the minimum rate of sugarcane at Rs 425 per 40 kg and directed the chief secretary to get the price approved by the cabinet through circulation.

The Secretary of Agriculture briefing the chief minister about the structure and strategy of his department said that it has 12 wings, including Extension, Research, Agriculture Management, Training and Research, Agriculture Marketing, Cane Commissionerate, Cotton Commissionerate, Bureau of Supply and price, Weight & Measures and Planning & Monitoring Cell.

Different wings of the departments have 10 director generals. At this, the chief minister said that most of the wings of the department have failed to perform. He directed the Secretary of Agriculture to evaluate the performance of every wing and wind up those wings which have lost their utility.

The CM was told that the agriculture department strategy was modernization of Agriculture Research, Advancement of Mechanized Agriculture, Strong Market Information System, improved agriculture extension Service, improved Water Management, aiming to increase productivity and reduce poverty, control Hoarding/ Smuggling of Essential Commodities in Coordination with District Administration & Law Enforcing Agencies.

At this, the CM said that most of the growers were purchasing certified seed from Punjab or Chinese seed. The Research wing has not brought any new variety of rice or wheat.

The chief minister directed the chief secretary to review the set-up and organization of the agriculture dept and propose merger/winding of the wings which have failed to perform or are of no further utility.