The National Committee for the Protection of State-Owned Sugar Mills has demanded the immediate reopening of six state-owned sugar mills shut down during the previous government's tenure, announcing a siege of the Industries Ministry on March 31 to press home its demand.
After the demand made, the committee announced the programme was announced at a press conference at the Dhaka Reporters' Unity on Saturday in the city.
Reading out a written statement, the organisation's convener, Karuzzaman Firoz, said leaders and representatives from different tiers of the committee were present at the briefing.
He said protest programmes would be held at all state-owned sugar mills-both operational and closed-across the country until March 26 as part of preparations for the planned encirclement of the ministry.
Firoz recalled that at a meeting in November 2024 between Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus and leaders of the National People's Front and the National Liberation Council, a decision had been taken to modernise and reopen the six closed sugar mills, alongside several other reform measures.
Following the meeting, an ordinance was issued paving the way for reopening the mills, he said.
However, instead of allocating funds through the Ministry of Finance to implement the decision, the authorities subsequently instructed the suspension of akhmarai (crushing season) activities, effectively stalling the process, he said.
The committee alleged that the move contradicted both the spirit of the ordinance and the assurances given at the highest level, warning that continued inaction would deepen losses in the state-owned sugar sector and threaten the livelihoods of thousands of workers.
They urged the interim administration to honour its commitments, ensure necessary budgetary support, and take immediate steps to revive the mills through modernisation and transparent management reforms.
