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ISLAMABAD: The Sugar Advisory Board (SAB) on Wednesday decided to commence the sugarcane crushing season from November 15. The decision was taken in a meeting of the SAB presided over by Federal Minister for National Food Security and Research, Rana Tanveer Hussain. The decision was taken after consultations with all provincial governments and the Pakistan Sugar Mills Association (PSMA), said a senior official of the Ministry of National Food Security and Research (MNFS&R). He said that the minister said that strict action will be taken against any sugar mill that fails to begin crushing on the specified date. The payments to farmers must be ensured before the start of the crushing season, the minister said. Sugar supply: PSMA blames govt policies for disruptions “The government is taking decisions in the interest of farmers to prevent their exploitation,” the minister said, adding that timely crushing would facilitate sugarcane growers and ensure an adequate and timely supply of sugar in the market. The minister reiterated that the decision was made keeping in view both the welfare of farmers and the stability of the sugar market. According to an official document submitted to the Federal Committee of Agriculture (FCA) meeting held on October 24, as per the provincial government estimates, the sugarcane-grown area during the year 2025-26 is 1.146 million hectares, showing an increase of 5.9 percent over the last year. Estimated sugarcane production for the 2025-26 increased to 84.7 million tons from 84.2 million tons of last year’s production, showing an increase of 0.6 percent, it said. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
