Fiji cane growing assistance called a 'miserable failure'

Transcript

Photo: Ruurmo

JAGANATH SAMI: This year, they have given in the budget $FJD15.4 million dollars for the 10 planting programmes but the farmers are told: Y ou prepare the land, plant the cane once it germinates then you will be paid. This is beyond what the farmers have the capacity to do, I mean, they are already struggling, they don't have the cashflow.  How will they prepare the land, plant the cane and then they are paid.  On the other hand, the government, for the non-sugar farmers, they are issuing out $FJD1,000 cash grants to people who are doing, non-sugar farmers, so double standards.  What we are saying, basically in summary, that there is definitely not a strategic plan and an implementation.  In 1998, we had a drought, our cane production had dropped from 4.5 million to two million tonnes, and that time, the SVT government, led by [Sitiveni] Rabuka, had given $FJD 43 million grant to farmers for a crop rehabilitation programme and our crops had jumped back to our 4 million tonnes within 12 months.  So if that could be done then, under the crop rehabilitation program, why is it that in the last 10 years we haven't been able to bounce back the crop .   
    
DON WISEMAN: So, it's simply really a case that people don't want to grow it because they haven't got the resources to do so, they need to get that money upfront, if they are going to do it.

JS:  Well, that's one, that they need to get money upfront and your policies should be very clear and how you are going to assist the farmers. The message that is coming out from the FSC [Fiji Sugar Corporation], is you don't trust the farmers. Farmers will get this money upfront and they will abuse it. The only time that the farmers have been assisted, like I said in 1998, $FJD43 million was given as grant to farmers for crop rehabilitation program, and that was very successful.

DW:  At what stage does the government and the FSC, at what stage do they need to start thinking about trying to do better in 2018.

JS: In the last ten years, they've changed in five boards and  five CEOs, over the last 10 years, and how do you bounce back an industry, I mean, if you keep on changing board chairmans and CEOs and come up every two years with a new strategic plan. So I think the whole government approach to the sugar industry, and I don't think they got a clear vision of how to return the industry to its former days or last achieving the ambitious target they have set of 4 million tonnes.  I can't see any signs of the Fiji First government - I mean the only consistent sector in the 10 years has been the Minister for Sugar, who happens to be the Prime Minister, and the boards have been chang ing, and the CEOs have been changing, except the Minister of Sugar.  So the buck stops with him. Maybe something is wrong with the Minister and his directive to the sugar industry and how he is providing leadership and obviously, I can't see any clear improvement or any signs of the current government being able to return the industry to at least a viable one.