BADIN, Jan 2: Faced with no-cane situation after growers held up harvest of their crop in hope of rise in prices, all five sugar mills in the district are out to sweet-talk them into supplying cane with offers of higher prices.

Pangrio, Mirza, Bawani, Khoski and Army Welfare sugar mills face acute shortage of sugarcane supply as the growers are not ready to sell their produce at Rs80 per 40kg.

They say that official rate of Rs80 is no more beneficial for them and they plan not to sell at less than Rs150 per 40kg.

They argue that they have spent huge amount on developing land, buying fertiliser, pesticides and other inputs. Normally, the sugarcane’s length at the harvest stage was between 12 to 14 feet but this year the cane is eight to 10 feet long, which has halved the yield, they say.

They demand linking price of sugarcane with the price of sugar in the market, arguing that sugar price have increased disproportionately to the price of the crop.

They point out that the sugar mills have delayed payments and violated the Sugarcane Act but at this point they are being asked to bear with the mills to help improve the market. But the growers appear determined to hold back their supplies unless the rates increase considerably.

Badin district has cultivated less sugarcane this year than last year.