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One more sugar factory has begun trial operations for this year’s cane crushing season, processing around 92,000 tons of sugarcane. Located in the cotton-producing district of Ghotki, it raises the number of sugar mills in the area from five to six. This development, perhaps, underscores the steady expansion of sugarcane cultivation into Sindh’s traditionally cotton-rich belt, a shift that appears to be continuing without pause.
Cotton is increasingly struggling to survive in both Punjab and Sindh. In Punjab, largely the expansion of rice cultivation has eroded cotton acreage, while in Sindh similar pressures are also visible.
At the same time, the steady increase in the number of sugar factories suggests that the sugar business continues to yield substantial returns for powerful millers, despite their frequent assertions of losses in the industry.
Historically, Ghotki was known as a cotton-producing area until the early 2000s. Five sugar factories were set up in a row in this area. The district on the left bank began to see this wave of sugar mill development, particularly during the Pervez Musharraf era, when policy space was perceived as more accommodating of powerful millers.
