HYDERABAD: December 4, 2017. (By Abbas Kassar) Sindh Abadgar Research Council and Farmers Organisation Council representing growers: small land holders and peasants of the province have expressed grave concern on failure of Sindh government in making announcement of its commitment of fixing sugarcane rate of Rs.182 ( to be purchased by sugar mills from growers and forcing sugar mills to start crushing season. As such they have decided to stage Dharna (sit-in) opposite chief minister house Karachi on next Monday 10 December. Addressing a news conference here president of SARC advocate Ali Palh, president FOC Javed Junejo and others told newsmen that usually sugar mills in province start crushing season in middle of October the period on which sugarcane crops happen to be ripe for supply but this year the mills have still not started their mills while the sugarcane crop standing in fields was drying up.Nor the government has, as yet, issued notification of rate which it has pledged as Rs.182 per maund in a meeting between agriculture minister and growers delegation few days back. They said 3 sugar mills in Tharparkar and Matiari districts have asked growers to purchase sugarcane at no more some influential person in ruling PPP. They alleged Sindh government of working under political influence due to which it was not accepting demands of growers rather was bent to incur harm to growers and destroying agriculture economy of Sindh. They said they sense present anti people and anti-agriculture policy of Sindh government to give benefit to their matron Asif Zardari who owns 19 sugar mills which are waiting to dry up sugarcane of growers so to lose weight to compel growers to sell same at minimum rate. They also alleged of mass corruption of billions of rupees in agriculture growth and livestock projects of World Bank projects adding that backward areas of Sindh like Thar,Kohistan and upper and lower Sindh were deprived of benefits of these projects. The staff and officers were not posted on merit, they added.