NFP calls for Fiji sugar rehab plan

Transcript

The opposition National Federation Party has says the Fiji government needs to create a $US50 million rehabilitation fund to save the sugar industry after Cyclone Winston.

NFP Leader Biman Prasad says once the government addressed the immediate needs of food, water and shelter it needs to look at the medium to long-term needs of the economy.

Mr Prasad, who is also an economist, says the sugar industry forms a pivotal part of Fiji's economy and it now lies in tatters.

He told Koro Vaka'uta a concrete plan needs to be produced within the next two months.

BIMAN PRASAD: The government ought to seriously start planning for the medium to long-term rehabilitation packages.  Not only for people whose homes have been destroyed but also whose crops and livestock has been destroyed.  More importantly I think we would need a big rehabilitation package for the sugar industry.  In fact, my initial assessment of the damage to crops between Lautoka right up to Rakiraki, it's felt that 70 to 80 percent of the cane farms have been severely damaged.  What percentage of that can be rescued and ready for this year remains to be seen but I think the sugar industry as a whole has been hit by a major disaster and it is going to be a huge setback for farmers.

KORO VAKA'UTA: How important is it to get that sugar industry recovered, in regards to the economy, because that's going to be the big thing isn't it, the state of Fiji's economy coming out of this?

BP: The sugar industry is still a very, very important part of the overall economy and especially for the economies of the Western Division.  Many of the towns and cities like Lautoka, Ba, Rakiraki, Tavua depend on the sugar industry for their survival.  This is why a very well-planned and a large rehabilitation package would be necessary if we are to get the sugar industry back on track for 2017.  What the government would need to do, and all those international partners who are to assist the sugar industry, would be to look at a very, very clear, extensive rehabilitation package.  Both at the farm level and at the farmer's level itself, in terms of their livelihoods.

KV: What kind of form could that package come in?

BP: We have experience of some of those kind of rehabilitation packages from the 1998 drought where 50 million (Fiji) dollars was put into sugar cane rehabilitation programme by the then government.  That helped rescued the sugar industry in a big way.  I think we probably need twice more than what we had experienced back in 1998.  Apart from that, I think the non-sugar crop sector too, you know especially in the villages in the small islands around the country.  Particularly Vanuabalavu, Koro, Taveni, Savusavu, Tailevu where large villages have suffered extensive damage, not only to their homes but also their crops.  There has to be a non-sugar crop sector package especially designed to bring those farmers back on track as well.