ISLAMABAD: The Senate Standing Committee on National Food Security on Wednesday expressed disappointment that sugarcane growers across the country were not being paid appropriately and the minimum price laid down by the Sindh High Court was not being ensured by the provincial governments. The committee, which met with Senator Syed Muzaffar Hussain Shah in the chair here at the Parliament House, apprehended that the cultivation of sugarcane might be seriously affected this year as growers will shift to other crops. The committee recommended that the federal and provincial governments evolve a mechanism to ensure the payment of a fair and reasonable price of the sugarcane to growers in the country. The chairman noted that bad planning on part of government was the major reason behind the situation. He said the reported rebate of sugar export will only benefit the sugar mills owners. The amount should be made available for the farmers by cutting down the production cost of sugarcane crop, he suggested. The meeting reviewed overall performance of the committee during the last three years which included resolving the matter of 1,400 acres of land of Pakistan Agricultural Research Council (PARC) through repeated instructions and consistent determination; passage of seed amendment bill and the plant breeders act, resolving the matter of irregular appointments in Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited (ZTBL), resolving the wheat procurement issue between Sindh government and PASSCO, and making the Kunri Chilli Drying Plant operational. The committee was told by the minister that after much ado the Pakistan Central Cotton Committee (PCCC) which was previously managed by the ministry of textile has now come under the control of the ministry of national food security and research. Published in Daily Times, March 8th 2018.