Reopening of 6 sugar mills is historic event: SMRTFC

For the sake of sugarcane producers and the larger national interest, the interim government’s decision to reopen six sugar mills is a historic and successful event that needs to be consolidated.

In a news conference held today at a community center here to inform the public about the decision to reopen six closed sugar mills, members of the Sugar Mills Reopening Task Force Committee (SMRTFC) shared their opinions.

The news conference was attended by central and local representatives from the Bangladesh Labor and Employees Federation (BLEF), Jatiya Sramik Karmachari Sangram Parishad (JSKSP), and Sugarcane Farmers’ and Sugarcane Rakhya Sangram Parishad (SFSRSP).

Joint convener of Members of SMRTFC and president of JSKSP Abdullah Al Kafi Ratan read out a written statement in the press conference on the issue.
 
SMRTFC member and central committee vice-president of BLEF Manas Nandi and SMRTFC member Altaf Hossain answered different questions asked by the journalists in the press conference.
 
The written statement said that the threshing of six of the 15 state-run sugar mills was suspended or closed through a notification issued on December 1, 2020.
 
After the fall of the fascist Sheikh Hasina regime on August 5, the JSKSP sent a memorandum to the Industrial Adviser of the interim government on August 20 demanding the opening of the six closed sugar mills.

Subsequently, a task force was formed with government officials and private representatives in response to the demand.
 
In the wake of the task force report, the government decided to withdraw the moratorium on threshing on December 1, 2020 and reopen closed sugar mills in three phases.

In the first phase, the interim government took the historic decision to reopen Shyampur Sugar Mills Limited in Rangpur and Setabganj Sugar Mills Limited in Dinajpur.
 
“In the future, people from all walks of life must stand against all the conspiracies of any government, World Bank or imperialist group to close industrial factories,” the written statement said.
 
In addition, the move to build sufficient new sugar mills, jute mills and other industrial factories to meet the country’s sugar demand and produce various industrial products within the country should be strengthened, the statement added.
 
CPB Rangpur district president Comrade Shahadat Hossain, its general secretary Kafi Sarker, Rangpur district convener of SFSRSP Anwar Hossain Bablu, BLEF central committee general secretary Masud Reza, Garments Sramik Federation general secretary Raju Ahmed, BSD (Marxist) Rangpur district general secretary Ahsanul Arefin Teetoo, among others, were present.