Corporate Social Responsibility - Sustainable Development Policy ...

VI. Farmers and GovernmentCorporate Social ResponsibilityThe farmer community voiced that the Government is responsible for theirheartaches; the Government is not protecting them from exploitative and unjustpolicies and actions of the sugar mills. There is no concept of crop insurance, infact the term has not been heard of in the farming community. Many suggestionsand complaints were received from the growers of sugarcane including that thegovernment needs to hear their concerns, protect them from mistreatment, providethem fair and efficient solutions, empower them and educate them.VII. ConsumersConsumers do realize that sugar is a necessity being an edible item. It is a staplefood used in everyday life; in beverages, snacks or desserts. The end-users as suchare unaware of the manufacturing process of sugar, but they are alert that sugaris basically produced from sugarcane or sugar beet. The consumers of refinedsugar were not educated on the topics of whether the process of sugar productionis fair or not; the consumers did not recall any initiative undertaken by the sugarindustry as philanthropic in fact. The local public was not familiar to the term ofCSR hence the respondents were not able to judge whether the sugar industry isCSR compliant or not. None of the respondents, both young and old, wereinterested in ensuring CSR practice in Pakistan. Only 1% of the respondentsparticipated in the Sugar Boycott 5-12 November 2009, still all participants ofthe survey remembered the year 2007-08 as significant for sugar. They explainedthat an artificial shortage was created by sugar mills to increase the marketprices resulting in the worst form of cartelization. Realizing the dynamics of thecorporate world the consumers understand that the industrialists only work toincrease their own profits. The end-users questioned also added that most of theindustrial owners were political entities. All respondents do imply that sugarmills like all other participants of the society do have social responsibilities namelyenvironmental, labor rights and sustainability of natural resources.y 28