Dilip urges farmers to sell sugarcane to state-run millers
Monday, 18 January 2010
FE Report
Industries Minister Dilip Borua Sunday urged the sugarcane farmers not to sell their harvest to the molasses producers in order to stop sugarcane shortage faced by the state-run sugar millers.
The minister made the call, as the sugarcane millers have been seeking government intervention for a long to take measures to prevent such sales.
They also alleged that the molasses makers use to smuggle sugarcane to Myanmar, which creates its crisis here.
"Sell sugarcane to the millers to save the potential sector, as the industry is struggling due to shortage of sugarcane," the Industries Minister urged the sugarcane farmers at a view exchanging meeting with the leaders of Bangladesh Sugar Mill Workers-Employees Federation at the Chini Shilpo Bhaban in the city.
According to the speakers, the farmers get Tk 120 by selling per mound of sugarcane to the molasses makers, while the millers give them Tk 66 that forced the poor farmers to avoid the millers.
The leaders of the state-owned sugar mill unions demanded immediate formulation of a national wage commission and implementation of a new salary scale for about 16,000 workers of the sector.
The union leaders demanded that the government should include all workers and employees engaged in sugarcane extension activities to revenue budget like those of cotton, jute and others agricultural industries under the Ministry of Agriculture to reduce production cost of sugar.
They also demanded immediate implementation of Prime Minister's declaration on May 1, 2009 regarding extension of workers' job tenure to 60 years.
Bangladesh Sugar and Food Industries Corporation (BSFIC) chairman Ranjit Kumar Biswas, Bangladesh Sugar Mill Workers-Employees Federation president Md Jahidul Islam Latif and general secretary Obaidul Hoque, among others, were present in the meeting.
Industries Minister Dilip Borua Sunday urged the sugarcane farmers not to sell their harvest to the molasses producers in order to stop sugarcane shortage faced by the state-run sugar millers.
The minister made the call, as the sugarcane millers have been seeking government intervention for a long to take measures to prevent such sales.
They also alleged that the molasses makers use to smuggle sugarcane to Myanmar, which creates its crisis here.
"Sell sugarcane to the millers to save the potential sector, as the industry is struggling due to shortage of sugarcane," the Industries Minister urged the sugarcane farmers at a view exchanging meeting with the leaders of Bangladesh Sugar Mill Workers-Employees Federation at the Chini Shilpo Bhaban in the city.
According to the speakers, the farmers get Tk 120 by selling per mound of sugarcane to the molasses makers, while the millers give them Tk 66 that forced the poor farmers to avoid the millers.
The leaders of the state-owned sugar mill unions demanded immediate formulation of a national wage commission and implementation of a new salary scale for about 16,000 workers of the sector.
The union leaders demanded that the government should include all workers and employees engaged in sugarcane extension activities to revenue budget like those of cotton, jute and others agricultural industries under the Ministry of Agriculture to reduce production cost of sugar.
They also demanded immediate implementation of Prime Minister's declaration on May 1, 2009 regarding extension of workers' job tenure to 60 years.
Bangladesh Sugar and Food Industries Corporation (BSFIC) chairman Ranjit Kumar Biswas, Bangladesh Sugar Mill Workers-Employees Federation president Md Jahidul Islam Latif and general secretary Obaidul Hoque, among others, were present in the meeting.