Sugarcane processing interrupted in Fiji
A man works on a sugarcane farm in Thua-Thien Hue Province. Photo by Shutterstock/Saigon85. Sketched by the Pan Pacific Agency.
SUVA, Jun 28, 2020, The Fiji Times. About to 300 lorries laden with cane have parked at the Rarawai mill since Friday night after a breakdown halted operations at the factory, The Fiji Times reported.
Farmers from Rakiraki to Cuvu in Sigatoka are sending their cane to Ba with the Lautoka mill still out of operations.
The National Farmers Union has called the Prime Minister and the Minister for Sugar Voreqe Bainimarama to intervene.
“It is time for the Prime Minister to seriously look at the industry and ensure that the farmers are heard,” said NFU secretary-general and former prime minister Mahendra Chaudhry.
“The farmers have been totally abdicated from the industry.”
He said it was a sad situation that the Sugar Cane Growers Council remained silent on issues affecting the farmers.
“There is no farmer representative on the SCGC and no one is listening to them.”
Mr Chaudhry claimed no one was listening to suggestions from organisations like the NFU.
Questions emailed to Fiji Sugar Corporation CEO Graham Clark on the mill breakdown remained unanswered when this edition went to press last night.
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