Lahore:The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Thursday sought a reply from the Agriculture Department Secretary and the Cane Commissioner Punjab on a petition seeking directions to the Punjab government to fix the sugarcane price and initiate the crushing season in sugar mills.
Justice Shams Mehmood Mirza passed the order while hearing a petition filed by Sardar Zafar Hussain, President of the Kissan Board Pakistan.
The petitioner’s counsel argued before the court that the sugarcane crop has ripened, but the government has not yet announced a support price for sugarcane, nor have the sugar mills started crushing. He submitted that farmers who plan to sow wheat after harvesting sugarcane are facing delays due to the stalled season. He pleaded with the court to direct the government to fix the support price for sugarcane and the sugar mills to start crushing.
After hearing the initial arguments, the court issued notices to the respondents and sought a reply.