Empowering sugarcane growers in Punjab Lok Sanjh Foundation (LSF0 with the collaboration of Rural Business Development Centre (RBDC) and cooperation of Gur Producers Association (GPA) developed various value added products and packaging of Gur which are ready to be launched in Islamabad at the end of January 2015.So far the feedback from the volunteers who have tried sample of these products has been positive.
Gur centre established with the financial support of OXFAM NOVIB at Toba Tek Sing (TTS) is fully operational and it started sugarcanecrushing from 11 November 2014. It is opened for small farmers who bring their sugarcane for crushing and Gur making daily from 06:00 am to 07:00 pm. From the beginning till now the Gur Centre has been very busy because of extensive participation of farmers who were interestedto make GUR. The reason being that, they were very frustrated. Firstly that Sugar Mills didn#t start crushing and buying sugarcane from the farmers by 20 November 2014. Secondly, initially the price announced was Rs. 180 per 40 KG but later it was reducedto Rs. 150 per 40 KG. On hearing this most farmers across the country protested (more in Sindh) against lowering the sugarcane price. As a result, reportedly, the Government again restored the price to initially announced rates. However, by last week when talked with some farmers on this issue they said that #Sugar Mills have not yet started buying sugarcane properly by using different excuses. In fact they want to delay it further#. The delay in sugarcane crushing by the Mills affect farmers# wheat cultivation as sugarcane fields are tobe vacated as early as possible to avoid delay in cultivation of wheat which provide them food security.
The GUR Centre at TTS has provided the farmers, particularly small ones, an alternative option whether to supply sugarcane to the Mills or get their sugarcanecrushed and make GUR at the Centre. By getting their sugarcane crushed at the centre    and convert into GUR under their own supervision allow them to monitor quality and quantity. The produced GUR is quickly taken to the market and payment is received in cash either on the same day or next day. It also allows them to vacate their field for timely wheat cultivation. Whereas, delay payment andlate crushing is a norm by the Millers which ultimately impact negatively farmers# interest
In addition, the farmers sold their finished produce i.e. GUR at Rs. 2200 -2500 per 40 KG in the market. Reportedly, the GUR price was raising upto Rs. 2700 per 40 KG depending on quality. The more and more farmers have started booking their turn for making GUR at the centre.
On daily basis about 2000 kG sugarcane is being crushed and obtained 800 kg of juice from which GUR is prepared. The finished GUR is around 2-3 kg Gur   from 16 kg juice depending on thequality of cane variety.
To date more than 126 tons of sugarcane has been crushed at the centre benefiting More than 80 small farmers, who had cultivated sugarcane on less than half acre of land. Currently more farmers are in the waiting. It has been observed that due to increased demand for sugarcane crushing at the centre, LSF had to add one more boiling pan to increase gur making capacity from 800 kg to 1600 kg of sugarcane juice within the existing structure.